A Journey to Patagonia

Ultra Paine – A Journey to Patagonia

It seems like yesterday that I first ran in the Torres Del Paine, as the experience has never quite left me.  I remember vividly being on a tour bus (driving through the national park), when we came across a family of Puma feeding off a guanaco, only metres from the edge of the road.  I was due to run a marathon here in a couple of days’ and I think it was at this point that the realisation of just how ‘out there’ this all was, finally hit home.

I escaped the tour bus on the next tea stop and ran for half an hour on the trails above the remote café, in awe of my surroundings and where I was.  8000 miles away from home, in one of the world’s most stunning arenas.  I’ve felt a connection ever since.  Patagonia has a way of working its way into your spirit.  When you talk to other runners about the place, there is a shared sense of that.

One of the people that I have been in touch with ever since I got back to the UK was Javier Vidal, and since this place is always lingering just at the back of my mind, I really wanted to get in touch to get further into the routes of one of the most spectacular events I’ve come across – the Ultra Paine 80km.  Javi has been involved with the event for quite some time now and has such a history of the Torres area – what better a person than she, to guide us through how this wonderful adventure came about.

Javi Vidal