A glorious day in beautiful Patagonia received the hundreds of athletes who had the guts to face the raw nature of Patagonman. At 5:30 hrs. after they had jumped from a big ferry boat into the cold waters of the Aysen Fjord they started swimming at the sound of the ferry horn. The water temperature of 10.7 degrees celsius took its toll leaving 8 athletes out of the race and the tough roads of the region impressed the athletes with its different nature views. The last part of the race was once again claimed by many photographers and athletes as the “most beautiful run in the world”. Tim Don took the overall victory with 9h:32m, not enough to set a new course record (Mau Mendez 2018: 8h:52m) but certainly impressive given the tough conditions of the day in Patagonia. Flora Colledge also from UK was the 2019 female champion of Patagonman!
About the race in general:
The 3.8 Km swim leg of the race start with the jump from a ferry boat into the icy-cold waters of the Aysen Fjord (10-12°C), from where the athletes must swim back to Puerto Chacabuco. The cycling leg of the race rolls on the only 180 Km of the iconic Carretera Austral that have actual pavement. And from Villa Cerro Castillo, the race finishes with the marathon (42.2 Km) through dirt trails and rubble roads following the Ibáñez River through forest, next to beautiful lakes and waterfalls all the way to the General Carrera Lake. Each competitor is required to show up with a support person whose roll is to assist the athlete throughout the race with food, hydration, clothing, mechanics and spiritual motivation. This support person is allowed to take more people in their car (family and friends) so they can witness the race. Finally, from Km 30 of the run, support and athletes can run together all the way to the finish line for the most amazing experience in triathlon. Athletes from 45 different countries register for this 2019 edition. The event is supported by the Chile Olympic Committee, the National Sports Ministry, the Bureau of National Tourism, the Chilean Navy, and the local authorities.