Competitors will navigate day and night, over glacier-clad mountains and through torrid whitewater, knowing that fierce winds and driving snow may force them to seek refuge in specially built snow caves stocked with supplies. The wild and scenic landscape of Patagonia shifts abruptly, from mountainous terrain to arid lowlands, often with only 40 kilometers separating the Alpine from the Pampas. Eco-Challenge is where the best and the newest talents in the multisport spectrum come together and push themselves and their team members beyond their perceived boundaries. The bios of the participants are, at times, unbelievable. Seven days, sixteen hours and twelve minutes after the start, Team Hewlett Packard was the first to complete the 370-mile course.
Top competitors call the British Columbia competition the toughest yet.
The 1999 Discovery Channel Eco-Challenge is an international arena for multisport adventure racers from all over the world. With over 12 new nations competing in this year's race, the number of teams totals more than 50. Stay tuned for the endurance saga of a lifetime.