5 REASONS WHY WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THIS RACE, THE CAUSE AND 2 WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
On September 28th, FOND will be down in Patagonia to race an Ultra in one of the most pristine destinations on the planet and to help reforest the region of the Torres del Paine National Park in the process. Take a read on why we are super stoked for this race and ask yourself whether you might want to join… or perhaps just plant a tree (which you can GPS track) for just $4 and pick up some happy earth karma.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
1. IT’S IN PATAGONIA. Contrary to popular belief, Patagonia is more than an awesome gear company – it’s also home of some of the most incredible natural beauty in the world. Because it’s a bit of a hike for us here in the US, a race is a great excuse to get down there and give back. From sailing to sheep shearing, Patagonia is home to lakes, forest and breathtaking glaciers, including Grey Glacier, which is part of the Southern Ice Field, the largest expanse of ice on the planet after Antarctica and the Arctic.
2. THERE’S A RACE LENGTH FOR EVERYBODY. The race is comprised of a 63k ultramarathon, 42k marathon, 21k half marathon and 10k. The run starts and ends in the Torres del Paine National Park and is a point-to-point run. The event offers runners of all abilities a distance to choose from. 2013 marks the second year for the event and the first year for the 63k ultramarathon.
3. IT BENEFITS REFOREST PATAGONIA . The event, organized by NIGSA, continues to support the mission of calling the world’s attention to the conservation of Chilean Patagonia and contributing to the sustainable development of the region. For every entry, a tree will be donated to Reforestemos Patagonia, a campaign with the goal of planting 1 million native trees in Chilean Patagonia. What’s cooler, their advanced GPS and mapping technologies will record the exact coordinates where each tree will be planted. Along with a digital Certificate of Reforestation, each individual who plants a tree will receive the coordinates of their tree, as well as a geo-tagged link showing them its location on Google Maps.
4. IT’S A NEW RACE. The Patagonian International Marathon is the first of its kind in the Torres del Paine National Park. Because it is a new race, it will be fairly small and will offer an excellent chance to meet other dedicated runners/conservationalists/travel enthusiasts from around the world. In spite of its youth, the race has clearly been organized by experts as is apparent through the wealth of information available on the Patagonia Ultramarathon Site. The smaller entry pool also means much greater chances of placing well. Small competition = healthy competition 🙂
5. IT’S A CUP-FREE EVENT. Perhaps one of the coolest innovations in long distance racing, the remoteness of this event combined with the mindfulness and foresight of its organizers led them to the decisions to eliminate the needless piles of waste associated with most endurance events. This means every runner is required to carry with them their own water hydration system- handheld water bottle or bladder system. It’s about time!
TWO WAYS TO GET INVOLVED – ONE EASY, ONE FUN!
1. GIVE A TREE! for only $4 and help reforest a precious part of the earth. This small step will leave you feeling good for several hours – possibly even weeks and will give you a nifty Facebook share opportunity to prompt your friends to also plant a tree. Together, we can help reverse the devastation of the forest fires that ravaged this area.
2. RACE! As we mentioned above, there is a race distance for every runner and plenty of accommodation options available near the park ranging from camping to luxury. What an amazing destination to put on your calendar for fall Travel than Patagonia! Also, as far as races go – the fact that the Ultra is less than the NYC Marathon is pretty epic. If you sign up, be sure to let us know so we can brag about you on our site and say hello while down there.
We hope to see you there!
FOND
FOND GROUP 