Vaucluse Adventure Evasions leaving PC7 on their way to PC8. Photographer: Eduardo Hernandez
An experienced racing team that have known each other for more than 10 years, this quartet all live in the same small village in Southern France and say they entered the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race because it is now the only event that represents the classic adventure races of the past. They came looking for an adventure and, speaking in the crater at Pali-Aike, on the finish line of this year’s 503km race, Thierry Cunibil delightedly informed us that it did not disappoint...!
Q: How was your experience in Patagonia – how do you feel to have come third?
"It was an amazing adventure. I really like this race, and we have a very good team. We really understand each other. The tasks were well dispersed between each of us. From the beginning we were surprised about how hard the vegetation was to navigate through, but we adapted very quickly to the terrain, which is why we were able to finish. We tried to be very consistent with our schedule. Our objective was to go as far as possible during the day, at sunset we would walk for a while longer and go to sleep. A good night would be four hours of sleep. We would wake up early and go to sleep at about 1am. This rhythm enabled us to be very constant, energized and focused on the race."
Q: And what was your best part?
"We were in fourth place at the beginning of the second kayak section. We paddled fast and at the intermediary point we only stopped for five minutes while staying in the kayaks and continued at our forceful speed. This enabled us to arrive in 3rd place at the end of the kayak section with a 2-hour lead on the 4th place team."
Q: Were you strong during the trekking section?
"The trekking section was very difficult. In particular the vegetation which only allowed a pace of 1 or 2 km/hour. Which was very unexpected for us. We didn’t know what to expect and this type of vegetation is not found in France, which left us unprepared. We were more prepared for changes in altitude. The rain was a big obstacle for us because we were completely wet and since we live in the south of France we are not used to the rain. We are used to wind so that is not a problem for us, however it was trying in the mountain bike section, but the rain is another story."
Q: After this race what do you think about participating next year?
"I don’t know about next year. I like these kinds of tough races. I will participate in other adventure races, but not sure if I will come back next year."
