News: Patagonian International Marathon

American ultra trail runner Krissy Moehl joins the Patagonian International Marathon Ambassador Program. oins group of world-wide ambassadors supporting the race and conservation of Patagonia Punta Arenas, Chile. June 4, 2013. 35-year-old Krissy Moehl, from Boulder, Colorado, USA, has joined the ambassador program for the Patagonian International Marathon. Following the success of last year’s event that attracted nearly 400 runners to Chile’s most-loved National park, NIGSA has further enhanced the event by including a 63k ultramarathon in the program. This will be the most southerly single-day ultra distance event in the world and is already attracting interest and entries from the international distance-running community. Krissy has been trail running competitively throughout the world for more than 10 years and has more than 40 female wins. Her most recent win came last month at the Ultra Trail Mount Fuji (UTMF) in Japan, a 100- mile trail run. When asked what conservation means to her, Moehl replied ‘Doing our part to protect and preserve special places on our planet. From areas that are fragile, amazing ecosystems to rugged untouched mountain tops, it is important to keep these places in their natural state and bring awareness to the positive impacts these places have on our well being as well as the ever evolving planet.’ These beliefs are in tune with the founding principals of NIGSA, the race organizers. NIGSA seeks to promote Patagonia as a unique tourist destination, one that is geared to support responsible, low impact tourism that benefits local people and their communities. The mountains, the people, the language and the desire to explore are what attract Krissy to Patagonia. Krissy will join other renowned runners who have volunteered to be ambassadors for the race. In doing so they will promote awareness of Chilean Patagonia and it’s diverse environment, but also the need to protect all the world’s wild places. In particular, runners will once again support the Reforestemos Patagonia project that aims to plant one million native trees in areas that have become deforested. This is particularly significant for the location of the Patagonian International Marathon in the Torres del Paine National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere reserve, which lost 170,000 km2 of forest in a devastating wildfire in December 2011. This year, for every entry, a tree will be donated to the Reforestemos Patagonia initiative. The course for the ultra-distance event is the brainchild of the Patagonian Expedition Race founder, Stjepan Pavicic, who was born in the region and has dedicated most of his life to promoting sustainable tourism in Chilean Patagonia. ‘By adding the 63km ultramarathon to our existing marathon event’ he recently said ‘we want to show the world that Patagonia is a paradise for endurance athletes from around the globe, a place that will fill them with vivid memories of running in a unique and wild place’.

Chilean ultrarunner Rodrigo Canuto Errazuriz joins the Patagonian International Marathon Ambassador Program. Joins group of world-wide ambassadors supporting the race and conservation of Patagonia. Punta Arenas, Chile. May 6, 2013. 37 year old Rodrigo Errazuriz, from Santiago, Chile, who holds the fastest known time (FKT) for the Torres del Paine “O” and “W” circuit, has joined the ambassador program for the Patagonian International Marathon. Following the success of last year’s event which attracted nearly 400 runners to Chile’s most-loved National park, NIGSA has further enhanced the event by including a 63k Ultramarathon in the program. This will be the most southerly single-day ultra distance event in the world and is already attracting interest and entries from the international distance-running community. Canuto has been trail running competitively throughout the world since 2005 with multiple podium finishes. A goal Errazuriz shares with the Patagonian International Marathon is to expose trail running to Chile and South America. His trail running accomplishments at Western States in California and UTMB in France have certainly helped expose the world to Chilean trail running. When asked what conservation means to him, Errazuriz replied ‘Conservation for me is a lifestyle; it is a habit that should be in our daily lives. Finally we are the ones that educate companies, society and the authorities. If the concern to preserve does not come from us it is not possible to avoid the destruction of our environment.’ These beliefs are in tune with the founding principals of NIGSA, the race organizers. NIGSA seeks to promote Patagonia as a unique tourist destination, one that is geared to support responsible, low impact tourism that benefits local people and their communities. When asked what attracts him to Patagonia, Canuto responded, ‘Patagonia is one of the most spectacular places in the world! Still a virgin terrain, with mountains, lakes, rivers and the best trails to run! It’s still a wild and mystical place’. We could not agree more. Canuto will join other renowned runners who have volunteered to be ambassadors for the race. In doing so they will promote awareness of Chilean Patagonia and it’s diverse environment, but also the need to protect all the world’s wild places. In particular, runners will once again support the Reforestemos Patagonia project that aims to plant one million native trees in areas that have become deforested. This is particularly significant for the location of the Patagonian International Marathon in the Torres del Paine National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere reserve, which lost 170,000 km2 of forest in a devastating wildfire in December 2011. This year, for every entry, a tree will be donated to the Reforestemos Patagonia initiative. The course for the ultra-distance event is the brainchild of the Patagonian Expedition Race founder, Stjepan Pavicic, who was born in the region and has dedicated most of his life to promoting sustainable tourism in Chilean Patagonia. ‘By adding the 63km ultramarathon to our existing marathon event’ he recently said ‘we want to show the world that Patagonia is a paradise for endurance athletes from around the globe, a place that will fill them with vivid memories of running in a unique and wild place.’ About NIGSA: NIGSA (Nómadas International Group SA) is based in Punta Arenas, Chile. With many years experience in the region, NIGSA is internationally known as the organizers of the Patagonian Expedition Race, often referred to as ‘The Last Wild Race’. In addition to its race organization expertise, NIGSA is also involved in logistical support operations, expedition planning, consultancy and local eco-tourism projects. About the Marathon: The Patagonian International Marathon will take place on September 28th, 2013 in the Torres del Paine National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1978. Runners can choose from the 63km ultramarathon, 42km marathon, 21km half-marathon, and 10km. The event will not only focus attention on Patagonia as a tourist destination, but will also bring direct benefits to conservation in the National Park through its association with the Reforestemos Patagonia project, which aims to plant one million trees in areas which have become deforested. About Rodrigo Errazuriz: Rodrigo Errazuriz was born in Chile and has a love for most all sports. He views sport as ‘The best tool to help approach each day head on.’ Running is his therapy, his way of disconnecting from his day-to-day responsibilities. Running allows time to ‘Think, meditate and solve the simple problems that life puts in the way.’ In February of 2012, Canuto attempted to break the fastest known time (FKT) for the “O” and “W” circuit in Torres del Paine National Park. The record was set in 2007 with a time of 18 hours and 30 minutes. Canuto was successful in his attempt and set a new FKT of 17 hours 38 minutes and 21 seconds! The record still stands. Canuto currently lives in Santiago where he is an outdoor brand executive. Although his life is very busy between work and time spent with his two beautiful girls, he still finds time to run and train.

§staticmap(11411,2,450,250)Hello, you are organizing the September 23rd, 2012 Patagonian International Marathon. Could you tell us where it takes place? The Patagonian International Marathon will take place in the Torres del Paine National Park, in southern Chilean Patagonia. This park is world heritage of UNESCO. How old is the race and why was it created in the first place? This year 2012 will be the first edition of the Patagonian International Marathon! We wanted to create a more accessible race than the Patagonian Expedition Race we organize in order to welcome even more people in Patagonia! Credit : Patagonian International MarathonWhat kind of route have you set up for the runners? How would you describe it? Runners will be surrounded by nature, this is an alpine marathon where stamina will be tested! The course will mostly be on a gravel trail. How many runners do you expect? What type of runners do you expect to attract? We expect around one hundred participants. This marathon is for runners who want to discover new horizons and run in an exceptional and unique setting while pushing their limits. Have you planned other races during the weekend, for what distances? It is an event that takes us a year to plan so we wanted to focus on a single race that weekend in order to make it the best it can be. What weather can we expect at that time of year? The weather in southern Chilean Patagonia is quite unpredictable but late September will be the beginning of the austral summer! Credit : Patagonian International MarathonHave you planned special festivities around the race? Yes, first, the participants will be greeted in Punta Arenas on September 28. The following day, all runners will be driven to Puerto Natales for lunch. Then we’ll head to Torres del Paine Park to discover the location of the race. In the evening we will provide details about the marathon at the Las Torres Hotel. The race will take place on the 30th! In the evening there will be a buffet and award ceremony for the participants. We offer various “packages” so runners can choose the type of accommodation they want. For example there is the “Dreams del Estrecho" package which is a 5 star hotel on the coast overlooking the Strait of Magellan, or the “Youth Hostel and camping” package which will appeal to backpackers. After the marathon, what advice would you give to a runner who has never visited Punta Arenas? A good restaurant, good sightseeing? Patagonia is a region where there are many things to discover such as the Torres del Paine National Park on its own, or the hiking trails of Karukinka. Also not to be missed is the island of Tierra del Fuego! I personally recommend it for its breathtaking scenery. We also organize excursions such as an 8 day / 7 night hiking trip through the Karukinka reserve, south of Tierra del Fuego, or half-day activities such as kayaking in the Laguna Parrillar National Reserve. Credit : Patagonian International Marathon What would you say to readers of ahotu Marathons in one sentence to make them want to sign-up for the Patagonian International Marathon? There is no other place on earth like Chilean Patagonia to come and push your limits among glaciers and guanacos (typical animal of Tierra del Fuego). We’ll see you there! Interview with Violette Hacquart.