THE PATAGONMAN
The PATAGONMAN is an extreme triathlon which takes place in the Aysen Region of Patagonia, Southern Chile. The race is one of the toughest challenges in the triathlon world, as it puts the athletes up against the grueling tests of nature which are the ultimate commander in that raw part of the planet. It is a small event of just under 300 privileged competitors admitted on lottery basis who are mixing with a small quota of invited professional triathlon stars.
‘El Triatlon Extremo del Fin del Mundo’, as PATAGONMAN is also referred to as, is a point-to-point race that starts before sunrise, in the darkness of the Aysen fjord, where the athletes must jump from a ferryboat into the ice cold waters of the Pacific ocean and its surrounding glaciers. They then have to swim 3.86 kilometers towards the shore of Puerto Chacabuco where they exit the water and find their bikes in the first transition area (T1). From there, they ride 174 kilometers into the windy, winding and hilly road of the famous Carretera Austral to the bottom of the imposing peak of Cerro Castillo, one of the most scenic parts of Patagonia. There, they leave their bikes in the second transition area (T2) and run on into the lonely 44 kilometers of dirt trails and rubble roads, running into forests and open planes, passing beautiful lakes and waterfalls, joining the the Ibáñez River all the way to its delta at the General Carrera Lake, another iconic landmark of the region.
Sounds unimaginably tough! HRR’s Ivan Filchev took on the challenge back in December and here is an insight into one of the world’s most challenging triathlon courses:
THE SWIM
With winds of more than 40 knots (nearly 80km an hour) and a very strong current, the conditions were extremely rough and the organisers were forced to secure a shorter swim course – only 1700m of the normal 3860m.
To begin the race, athletes stood exposed on the ferry deck for more than an hour in the wind and rain, and air temperature of 5°C. They jumped into the dark ocean at 5:35 am, with the water being 12°C – significantly warmer than the ambient temperature. The honk of the ship horn sounded at 5:46 am and that was the start of the race. The swim itself was dark and choppy, but Ivan managed to navigate well resulting in a very efficient course leading directly to the exit point.
He completed the 1700m in 22 minutes and performed the wet T1 in another 7 minutes.
THE BIKE
After swimming to Puerto Chacabuco before sunrise, the athletes headed out on their bikes to Villa Cerro Castillo, in weather conditions which showed no signs of relenting.
For the first 20km athletes were wet and cold and had very poor visibility at moments. There was also a strong turbulent tail wind making the conditions exceptionally dangerous for road cycling. At around 50 km in the bike section, the road became completely dry, but with brutal crosswind gusts governing the race dynamics and forcing the majority of the amatauer athletes to ride extremely conservatively, especially when accelerating at the fast downhill sections. Soon the air temperature reached 20°C with very strong direct sunlight. At the 100km mark, athletes began experiencing radical temperature fluctuations as they were changing elevation, reaching the highest point of the course where snow and ice was visible. The ultimate cycling challenge of the day came 40km before the end of the ride when the competitors had to climb continuously for 20km into the constant headwind of the straight and steady gradient of the final mountain pass. After this, the only thing standing between the athletes and T2 was the steep descent of Cuesta del Diablo, a notorious road which scares even the experienced downhill specialists.
Ivan completed the 174km cycle route (with more than 2400m of elevation) in 6 hours and 9 minutes.
T2 took him 1 minute.
THE RUN
After dismounting their bikes at Villa Cerro Castillo, the athletes immediately experienced the heat on the running course which was interrupted by some welcomed wind gusts every 10 minutes, to remind them that they were in the middle of the Patagonian mountains. The nature of the terrain and the underfoot conditions forced every competitor to stop and walk very large parts at the beginning of the run, making it a fierce battle in their minds trying to answer the question whether it was even possible to complete that challenge. And, similar to the cycling part, the run was a long and solo effort for most competitors until the 30km mark where they were allowed to have their supporters joining them for the final 14km. That last stretch was open and flat with a strong tail wind cooling the exhausted bodies of the runners and refreshing their minds. Unfortunately, like the rest of the elements on the day, that tail wind showed its tricky side causing Ivan to trip and fall badly just 6km before the bell and open bleeding cuts on his right knee, hand and elbow. However, this did not stop him and his Chilean supporter Cristian to finish strong and to pass the final pair of competitors less than 1km from the finish line.
Ivan completed the 44km run (with 1000m of elevation) in 4 hours and 32 minutes.
THE BELL
A brutal yet brilliant triumph of the mind over all sorts of adversities before and during the race. Completing the PATAGONMAN is a truly special and very emotional accomplishment for everyone. To ring the iconic bell at the finish line and be greeted by the people of this remote region, is a priceless feeling which remains forever. The successful participation in Patagonia’s extreme triathlon allows one to be a part of a very small group of people in the world. Everyone involved has made their own contribution to making an event like this a real sporting gem. This year’s edition was the most international event Chile has ever hosted – athletes from 54 countries took part. And of all 300 which had the right to compete, only 149 made it to the finish line in Puerto Ingeniero Ibáñez.
It took HRR’s Bulgarian representative 11 hours and 13 minutes to complete the course. Ivan managed to have a better day than the defending ladies champion (and professional triathlete) and passed her 20km in the run. He finished 16th overall with the remaining 7 professional athletes in front of him.
A well deserved and incredible achievement.
