Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race: Education Page
Welcome to Patagonia! This page — designed for teens, kids and anyone else interested in the vast wilderness at the tip of the South American continent — contains information on Patagonia and the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race, an event in Chile this February 9 - 17, 2010. Read on to learn about the race and the region, and then submit your answer below for a chance to win gear and prizes!
The Race: Each year, the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race (WPER) brings together a group of international athletes for a one-of-a-kind wilderness race. Coed teams of four race nonstop for multiple days, reading a compass, following maps, and pushing personal limits in an event that challenges the body and the mind.
The Sport: Combine a passion for exploration with serious athletic training — and mix in a dose of wilderness-survival savvy — and you might just bump into an adventure racer. The sport of adventure racing, popularized in the 1990s, pushes the limits of human potential in events around the globe.
The Team: Stephen Regenold, a journalist and outdoorsman from Minneapolis, Minn., is leading an American team in this year's race. The four-person squad, including two other men and a woman, will compete as "Team Gear Junkie," a name based on Regenold's newspaper column and website.
The Challenge: WPER is one of the toughest ultra-endurance events on the planet. For Regenold, an Ironman completer and a veteran of races like the 10-day Primal Quest Utah, Patagonia will likely be the toughest challenge he has ever faced. He will train for months leading up to the start. He will compile gear and manage logistics. Then he will get on a plane and go south to race for a week or more straight.
Why Do It? In 2003, Regenold ran his first marathon. The realization that his body could go 26.2 miles without stopping was a life-changing moment. Since that first race, Regenold has continued to up the ante and push his personal limits, including triathlons, ski events, mountain climbs, and multi-day adventure races. Regenold sees Patagonia as a pinnacle challenge after years of training and trips around the globe.
Submit Your Challenge! "What is the most challenging thing you have ever done?" Answer that question in the form below — in 50 words or more! — to recount a personal, academic, physical, or other life challenge you have faced. We will highlight a few standout answers from teens and kids in Minnesota and around the globe. Contributors with the most unique answers will be entered into a contest to win cool gear from the Gear Junkie site, including hats, water bottles, backpacks, and more!
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- About The Region
The Region: Look at a map of South America. Now scan down to where the tip narrows and the continent forms to a point in the far south. This is Patagonia, an "end of the Earth" divided between Chile and Argentina. There, the spine of the Andes Mountains fades into an oblivion of islands, ice fields, fjords, and deep forest that rolls untouched toward the sea.
Conservation: A top goal with the Wenger Race is to highlight the natural beauty — but also potential vulnerability — of Patagonia. The region's isolated location kept humans from significant inhabitation or development for centuries. Today, commercial interests like mining and logging threaten to change the environment.
Natural Wonders: Patagonia's place names — Torres del Paine, Tierra del Fuego, the Strait of Magellan, Cape Horn — signal iconic images and pristine nature. Patagonia is among the last great wildernesses on the planet. For WPER organizers, the mission is straightforward: "To awaken the world to the importance and beauty of the southern Patagonia, thus ensuring that it will be the treasure it is today for future generations."
