The 2011 Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race will be run to a shortened course after persistent heavy rains over the weekend made sections of the course too difficult for the teams to pass through, Race Director Stjepan Pavicic confirmed this morning.
The overall distance of the course will be shortened by 56 kilometres,with those teams remaining in the race gathering on the shores of Fjordo Obstruccion at checkpoint 11. Those that wish to continue will be taken by boat to a location on the coast 12km from checkpoint 12, where the race will be restarted.
“There is a mix of two things that has caused us to make this decision,” explained Pavicic, speaking from the race’s Remote HQ at Remota Hotel in Puerto Natales. “First we lost time in the first day when we had winds in the kayak section and now we have had very strong rain.
“With the current conditions the teams have been slower and there is more probability for hypothermia while the height of the rivers will increase and could make some of the crossings in the section between 11 and 12 too difficult and dangerous to complete.
“I do not like to change the course, particularly as it means we cannot complete our record longest trek this year, but for the safety of the teams it is necessary to do this.
“They have faced particularly difficult conditions over the last 77km of trekking from PC9 and this change will allow them to eat and recover while still allowing the race to continue on all the way through to Pali Aike.”
Some teams arrived at PC11 yesterday and have remained there in a neutralisation zone, where no time is added to their race time, while they await the other teams left in the race.
There is a boat already located at PC11, which was originally stationed there to take some teams that decided to retire at that point back to Puerto Natales, and if conditions are good the boat will aim to leave to allow teams to get to the restart point in time to trek through the late afternoon and into the night.
