Known as the 'Race to the End of the World', the 10-day event challenges co-ed international teams of four athletes in the disciplines of trekking, sea kayaking, orienteering, and mountain biking.
[4] The Patagonian Expedition Race takes place in February each year and involves a maximum of 20 four-person mixed-sex teams, limited to minimize the impact on the environment.
The combination of rugged terrain, long distances and unpredictable climatic conditions creates a great challenge, with the rate of team completion averaging between 35 and 50 percent.
The 26 nations that have competed, up to and including the 2011 edition, are: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Uruguay and USA.
Stjepan Pavicic, Race Director, explains: "From the beginning, we have focused on creating an experience that is not only a physical and mental challenge, but one that sends a real message: we must protect and preserve this remote and pristine region of Chilean Patagonia.
2012: The 10th anniversary edition of the race presented the 19 international co-ed teams with 565 km (351 miles) of challenging Patagonian nature; ranging from strength-sapping peat bogs to freezing cold glacial rivers.
2011: The ninth edition of the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race took on a challenging route through the dramatic landscapes of Torres del Paine, Bernard O’Higgins and Pali Aike National Parks.
2009: This 600 km epic began in Torres del Paine and ended at the Cross of the Seas on Cabo Froward, the southernmost point of the American continental mainland.
British team Helly Hansen-Prunesco put in a strong and smooth performance to beat reigning champions Easy Implant (formerly Authentic Nutrition), who finished second.
[6] 2007: The longest race of its kind in history took the teams 1,112 km through the southern region of Chilean Patagonia, from Torres del Paine National Park all the way to Puerto Williams on the Navarino Island.
The Mexican team 7º Grado Monterrey México came closest, but they had been disqualified for being rescued from the middle of the awesome Darwin mountains after getting lost for several days.
[6] 2006: The third edition of the race, in February 2006, covered more than 700 km and started on the South Atlantic Ocean in a region first explored by Ferdinand Magellan.
The route crossed the American continent all the way to the Pacific Ocean, where it led through the channels and the unexplored Peninsula Brunswick down to the Río San Pedro before ending in Punta Arenas.
"[6] 2005: The second Patagonian Expedition Race was 662 km long, beginning near the entrance to Torres del Paine National Park and ending at San Isidro Lighthouse on the shores of the Strait of Magellan.
[6] 2004: The first ever race involved competitors from 10 different nations and was won by Xinix Water Purification, a team made up of three New Zealand racers and their American female captain Robyn Benincasa.
It started in Punta Arenas and finished at the most southerly point ever reached in any expedition race at that time, in the town of Puerto Williams on Navarino Island.
[6] 2012: AdidasTERREX/Prunesco (UK/New-Zealand/Spain): Nick Gracie, Sarah Fairmaid, Stuart Lynch, Albert Rocca 2011: AdidasTERREX/Prunesco (UK): Bruce Duncan, Fiona Spotswood, Nick Gracie, Mark Humphrey 2010: Helly Hansen-Prunesco (UK): Nicola Macleod, Andrew Wilson, Mark Humphrey, Bruce Duncan 2009: Helly Hansen-Prunesco (UK): Nicola Macleod, Andrew Wilson, Mark Humphrey, Bruce Duncan 2008: Authentic Nutrition (France / USA): Bruno Rey, Teresa Ellen Dewitt, Cyril Margaritis, Philippe Danneau 2007: TSL – La Clusas (France): Jerome Bernard, Cathy Ardito, Frédéric Charles, Laurent Ardito 2006 Winter: Nike-GNC (Chile): Victor González, Diego Banfi del Río 2006: Buff (Spain / Germany): Chemari Bustillo, Javier Rodriguez, Juanjo Alonso, Ann Christine Meidinger 2005: La Clusaz Raid Aventure (France): Laurent Ardito, Cathy Ardito, Frédéric Freddow, Jerome Bernard 2004: Xinix Water Purification (New Zealand / USA): Robyn Benincasa, Neil Jones, Christopher Morrissey, Jeff Mitchell Up till the 2011 race, the title sponsor of the race used to be Wenger, the manufacturer of the Genuine Swiss Army Knife as well as precision outdoor equipment and Swibo knives.
Peter Hug, Chief Executive Officer of Wenger, said, "The Patagonian Expedition Race is a unique human challenge, conducted in an environment where preparedness is everything and precision multi-discipline tools for the job are vital – exactly the principles on which our company was founded over 100 years ago."