Over 5½ days, the Páramo-supported team of Nicola MacLeod, Bruce Duncan, Andy Wilson and Mark Humphrey mountain-biked, trekked and kayaked over 600km of the world's toughest terrain to successfully defend their title in the ‘Toughest Adventure Race on Earth', the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race. Finishing almost a day ahead of their nearest rivals, the race organisers were trying to get everything in place before the team arrived, something that didn't always happen!
The Chilean event traversed the full length of Tierra Del Fuego. Crossing 300km of desolate plains into a monster headwind, the team then faced almost 120km of the Darwin Range on foot, a huge 2½ day trek across one of the biggest mountain ranges in the southern hemisphere. Kayaking across the Beagle Channel to Isla Navarino, they fi nished in Puerto Williams, the most southerly town in the world.
Adventure racing is a tough sport, and having the right equipment to get through the race is vital. The team took specialist Páramo on the long trek - a sturdier waterproof than we'd normally carry, but in this race weight isn't the biggest factor, the weather is. Wearing Páramo trousers and jackets, the team stayed totally dry throughout the trek, and incredibly warm even in the sub-zero temperatures endured at night on high mountain passes. The vegetation is very sharp and spiky - last year the team's legs were shredded - but with Páramo trousers even the worst bushes were swept aside, leaving us with pretty much unscathed legs.
The team attributed a lot of their success to being kitted out with the best equipment for the task, and Páramo was certainly that. Team captain, Nicola, said ‘Keeping warm and dry in the worst weather that Patagonia could throw at us was vital for team morale, enabling us to move at good speed through the wilderness, something many rivals couldn't do. Thanks Páramo for your fantastic support, it made our race so much more comfortable and pleasant, ensuring we raced harder and faster than all our rivals."
