PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE 2006

The Canadians have decided to try to catch up on the hours that separate them from the Spaniards. Thanks to their excellent navigational skills they have cut off a large distance by crossing a peninsula at the last part along the lake, gaining a 45 minute advantage. Night fell, as the teams continued with their headlamps, jogging whenever they came to a short beach. At 22:30 the Spaniards decided to camp, while team 2-ALBERTA ADVENTURE RACING continued trekking, now through forest and through Patagonia peat bog, towards PC5 Seno Otway...

Meanwhile, the teams at 18:21hrs, and 3-MAD SCIENTISTS and 7-DAP ANTARTICA at 20:23 hrs, started trekking across Isla Riesco after having been transported to PC3 Seno Obstrucción (they had been held back due to the bad weather conditions that had prevented them from paddling the kayak segment).

PC4 Seno Skyring - Km
place	Time accumulated in race	team
1st	32:59	1-BUFF
2nd	41:07	10-FEED THE MACHINE/IBEX
3rd	41:08	2-ALBERTA ADVENTURE RACING
4th	48:40	3-MAD SCIENTISTS
5th	55:22	7-DAP ANTARTICA
*Checkpoint closing times have been modified, due to the bad weather conditions.

February 16

04:00 hrs, team 10-FEED THE MACHINE is crossing the highest point of the mountain range in the first third of the trekking route across Isla Riesco, on route to Lago Riesco.

07:20 hrs, team 1-BUFF starts trekking again from the extreme south of Lago Riesco towards Seno Otway. Ann Meidinger is still having problems with her left knee, after having been pushed over by the winds in the first biking section.
At 16:58 hrs 2-ALBERTA ADVENTURE RACING arrives at PC5 Seno Otway. Here are some of their comments about the route so far:

Dan Wolfrom:
"After competing in PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE there is just no other race you can go in...
Katrina Rosen :
"We usually compete in 36 hour races. In this race, we have only done one trekking section in 36 hours!".

18:25 hrs, Team 10-FEED THE MACHINE is advancing from the southern part of Lago Riesco towards PC5, through difficult conditions due to continuous rain. Here are some of the health problems that the racers have been suffering from so far: Team 1-BUFF : Ann Meidinger has an injury to her left knee, and Juanjo Alonso has stomach problems due to "Food rations" (high-energy, but dense foods such as granola bars, chocolate, and other such things that can be eaten on the run...)

Team 7-DAP ANTARTICA : All team members have problems with their joints and ligaments, due to overuse.

Team 2-ALBERTA ADVENTURE RACING : have blisters on their feet due to the long hours trekking.

20:48 hrs, team 1-BUFF arrives at PC5 Seno Otway.

23:22 hrs, team 3-MAD SCIENTISTS arrives at PC5 Seno Otway, following an alternative route. The original route goes along the west side of Lago Riesco. They have trekked along its eastern shore, then followed the Rio Grande to arrive at the coast of Seno Otway.

The teams that have arrived at PC5, although tired from the long trek, are continuing on in very good conditions to face the coming days of the race.

First thing tomorrow, we will re-evaluate the climatic conditions before granting permissions for the racers to start the next kayaking section towards Fiordo Silva Palma.

February 17

03:43 hrs, team 7-DAP ANTARTICA arrives at PC5 .

05:45 The original kayaking section PC5 Seno Otway - PC6 Fiordo Silva Palma has had to be modified. Instead of the 50 km that were going to be undertaken, racers will paddle only 30 km in a more protected part of the section - from the coast (PC5), passing along the east side of Islas Engelfield and Vivian in the center of Seno Otway, and when they reach the southern part of Isla Vivian they will turn around and head back to Riesco Island. The change in route is due to the bad weather conditions, expecially in the middle of Seno Otway between Isla Vivian and Fiordo Silva Palma. This section is most exposed to the N-NW winds that are blowing at the moment. A boat from the Armada de Chilean is in the area and is reporting winds of 20-25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots, whereas near the coast the winds are only reaching about 10 knots.

9:30 With the support of the Armada de Chile and the company Whalesound. the kayaking section started, and it was much faster than had been expected because of the protection offered by the islands. Spanish team 1-Buff set a strong pace, but towards the end of the section Canadians moved ahead of them, completing the section in 3 hrs and 45 minutes. Team 1-Buff arrived close behind, in 3 hrs and 48 minutes, and finally South African team 3-Mad Scientist came in with a time of 4 hrs and 10 minutos. Chilean team 7-Dap Antartica had to quit when they arrived at Isla Vivian because Natalia Armijo was not able to continue. They were transported out by the Chilean Armada patroller Ona.

The American team 10-FEED THE MACHINE has still not arrived at PC5 , but they are so far within the cut-off time for the PC that they are considered to be still within the race.

16:30 hrs, teams 1-BUFF and 2-ALBERTA ADVENTURE RACING, after finishing the kayak section, were transported in the Whalesound boat Esturión II to PC6 Fiordo Silva Palma to start the trekking section across Peninsula Brunswick.

PC5 Seno Otway - Km
place	Accumulated race time	team
1st	74:25	1-BUFF
2nd	79:31	2-ALBERTA ADVENTURE RACING
3rd	79:49	3-MAD SCIENTISTS
4th	88:52* resigned from race	7-DAP ANTARTICA
5th	100:07	10-FEED THE MACHINE/IBEX

Several members of the teams 7-DAP ANTARTICA and 3-MAD SCIENTISTS have health problems and are evaluating whether or not they will continue in the race. Finally, several decide to quit: Heather Graz, from team 3-MAD SCIENTISTS, and Natalia Armijo and Andres Fernández , from team 7-DAP ANTARTICA. However, the PER organization has permitted the remaining team members to unite and form a group of 5, which will still try to complete the race, although out of the official ranking.

23:21 hrs, team 10-FEED THE MACHINE arrives at PC5 Seno Otway.

February 18

09:12 hrs, PER organization personnel in PC5 Seno Otway have informed us that team 10-FEED THE MACHINE are being transported by boat to PC6 Fiordo Silva Palma, where the five teams are starting the longest and most difficult trekking stage of this race.

Upon leaving PC5 this morning, Bernice Pierson of team 10-FEED THE MACHINE/IBEX and Race Director Stjepan Pavicic had the following conversation:

Bernice Pierson : "I have raced Primal Quest twice as well as about 50 other races, but these last 50 hours of trekking have been the toughest that I have ever done. Ever. The forest and the peat bog were really difficult. You go into that bush, walking, and just wanting to get out of there, and when it finally ends you are in the bog. Walking over that soft surface os like walking over wet sponges..."
Stjepan Pavicic : "Well, in the next section you will be able to break your own record again..."

Now, the longest and most difficult section of trekking awaits the teams. The racers have to face a great challenge, not only due to distance, but also because of the solitude that they will face, with no town or human settlement to ease the sense of isolation. To cross this part of the Peninsula Brunswick and arrive at the shores of the Strait of Magellan is to cross a huge unconquered landscape, wild and without paths or tracks. Upon leaving PC6 fiordo Silva Palma the racers will travel in a generally SW direction through a large and wide peat bog about 17 km across that will take them to the valley of the Rio Raul, which is cut by several deep and forested smaller valleys. Then, depending upon whether there has been much rain and according to the capabilities of the group members, they will follow the river (if there has not been much rain), either along its grassy and bushy terraces or along higher forested routes with many fallen trees and spiny calafate bushes. A few kilometers further on they will start to ascend a 700 m terrace, just below and parallel to a mountainous ridge, where it is quite possible that it will be snowing despite the summer season, which is subject to strong winds, disorienting fog, and heavy rains that, with the wind, can be almost horizontal. In this zone it is also possible to see the two animals that appear in the most mountainous regions of Chile: the Condor, king of the Andes, and the Huemul, our indigenous and serverely endangered species of deer. The terrace consists of both grassy slopes and broken, rocky slopes and more compact terrain. Throughout, there are small but steep canyons that lead into the main valley. They must ascend various saddles to get across the canyons, to then descend in the next valley.

19:50 hrs. Team 1-BUFF has already come down from the mountainous range into a valley protected from the high winds and the cold of the higher altitudes and will not continue walking any more today, due to bad weather conditions. They are about 30 kilometers from the coast, where they will start to follow the shoreline trail to PC7 Río San Pedro.

20:30 hrs. Team 2-ALBERTA ADVENTURE RACING are still in the mountains, but at a pass that leads down into the valley, and also will not continue any further right now due to the bad weather conditions.

February 19

05:30 hrs. team 2-ALBERTA ADVENTURE RACING reports that there is an intense blizzard, and that all of their equipment is wet, but they are in good spirits and want to keep going... we are witnessing the wildest race on the planet!

The next 45 kilometers or so of this trekking section are divided into two parts: the first starts with a system of wide peat bogs separated by small steep valleys and canyons, with some dense forest and rivers of variable depth, depending upon the rain. Before getting to the sea, there are forests that are easier to move through along the big rivers at the bottom of the valleys. In this region, when organization personnel were doing the route reconnaissance, they found evidence of beavers: beaver dams, and trees cut by the beavers. These animals were introduced via Argentina, where they were deliberately introduced to Tierra del Fuego. We have seen that they have crossed the Strait of Magellan and started to colonize the continent. They are considered a pest because they destroy all of the forest along the edges of the rivers. The second part of the trekking is an infrequently used coastal trail following long beaches to get to PC7 Río San Pedro. For the most part, they will go through unpoplulated coastline - we don't want to traumatize the racers with this slow arrival back to civilization. From the beaches, it is possible to see Magellanic dolphins, porpoises, whales, sea lions and a great variety of birds.

19:45 hrs. the group composed of members of the teams 3-MAD SCIENTISTS and 7-DAP ANTARTICA, both out of the official race, are doing well, although they are outside of the area of the map given to them by the race organization, and heading eastward, towards the sea.

February 20

16:20 hrs. PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE personnel have seen the group made up of members of the teams 3-MAD SCIENTISTS and 7-DAP ANTARTICA, both out of the official race, a few kilometers north of PC7 Río San Pedro--where the final bicycle stage begins. It seems that they again have made up their own route, without following the "Route Guide for Racers PER 2006 " that the race organization has given to each team. This official route is established to maintain the equality that is required in any type of race; we are referring principally to the distance travelled and the difficulty of the terrain.

After 22:00 hrs. the group made up of members of the teams 3-MAD SCIENTISTS and 7-DAP ANTARTICA, racing out of competition, arrive in Punta Arenas. They are welcomed at the PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE operations center, and even though they are out of the official ranking we still celebrated their arrival with cidre (an apple drink that is typical of the Magallanes region, similar to champagne). CONGRATULATIONS!! to Michael Graz (Germany), Wessel Cronje (South Africa) , Jonathan St. Claire (South Africa) , Nicolas Pivcevic (Chile) and Pablo Fernandez (Chile)!

February 21

7:43 hrs. team 1-BUFF arrives at PC7 Río San Pedro , they have not slept but will start the last bicycle stage in a couple of minutes.

11:35 hrs. Team 2-ALBERTA ADVENTURE RACING arrives to PC7 Río San Pedro.

13:16 hrs. members of team 1-BUFF become the Winners of the third edition of the PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE 2006, CONGRATULATIONS!! Chemari Bustillo (Captain , Spain), Javier Rodríguez (Spain), Juanjo Alonso (Spain) and Ann Meidinger (Germany) are welcomed with warm applause at the finish line, located in the Plaza de Armas of Punta Arenas, capital of the Magallanes region.

16:20 hrs. The Canadians of team 2-ALBERTA ADVENTURE RACING arrive at the Finish Line!!! CONGRATULATIONS to the Second Place Winners!! Mike Melnick, Sean Verret, Katrina Rosen and Dan Wolfrom.

February 22

17:01 hrs. from our observation point 23 km south of PC7 Río San Pedro we are told that team 10-FEED THE MACHINE/IBEX are on their way, moving very slowly due to exhaustion.

Later in the afternoon we hear that 10-FEED THE MACHINE/IBEX will spend the night in the area of San Isidro Lighthouse, 9 km from PC7 Río San Pedro.

February 23

The news is in that team 10-FEED THE MACHINE/IBEX travelled along the coast to PC7 Río San Pedro , arriving at 12:15 hrs.
We expect them to start the final cycling section at 13:45 hrs. We estimate they should arrive at the finish line at about about 17:00 hrs.

CONGRATULATIONS!! At 16:50 Team 10-FEED THE MACHINE/IBEX Christian Burke (USA), Jayson Browne (USA), Bernice Pierson (USA) and Jon Bonwick (England), have arrived at the FINISH LINE!! taking 3rd Place!

February 24

Back in Punta Arenas, the capital of the Magallanes Region, the teams have had time to rest and regain their strength for the closing ceremony and following celebrations at Kamikaze discotheque.

At 19:30 we began emotional closing ceremony shared with the government officials as well as local businesses that have supported the race. We thank everyone for their cooperation in the successful completion of the 2006 edition of the wildest epedition race on the planet, the PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE!

Final results - Km
place	Accumulated race time	Total race time	team
1st	166:11	9d 07:16	1-BUFF
2nd	173:21	9d 10:20	2-ALBERTA ADVENTURE RACING
3rd	225:10	11d 10:50	10-FEED THE MACHINE/IBEX
4th	disqualified	-	3-MAD SCIENTISTS
4th	disqualified	-	7-DAP ANTARTICA
*Teams Out of Race (FC). No Times Published for disqualified teams as they cannot be compared due to differences of distance and difficulty in the two longest trekking routes. The estimated completion times for the PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE 2006 prepared by the organization was very close to accurate--with an estimated time of 9 days for the leading team and 12 days for the slowest.

From Punta Arenas, in Southern Patagonia, a big and warm greeting to all the people that have followed this event and to the racers that have participated so enthusiastically!

...Look for us at the WINTER PATAGONIAN RACE 2006...yes WINTER 2006!!!

...The wildest race on the planet now has a winter version!!!

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Previous days

February 11 2006, At 19:30 hrs the racers along with some of the PATAGONIAN EXPEDITION RACE staff left Punta Arenas city hall (I.Municipalidad de Punta Arenas) in the Via-Terra van. Destination? Punta Dungenes, geographic landmark that marks the eastern entry to the mythic Strait of Magellan, and the beginning of the most southern race in the world.

In the previous meeting with the team captains, the organization decided to suspend the first kayak stage due to the bad weather conditions, especially because of hard wind.