Norseman and the XTRI WORLD TOUR gets to Chile with PATAGONMAN XTRI 2018

A very special race will take place on December 9th, 2018 in Chile, specifically in the Aysén Region: the PATAGONMAN XTRI, an amazing competition in Patagonia that you cannot miss! The event is part of the XTRI WORLD TOUR CIRCUIT (prospect race) and it’s supported by Norseman, the successful and harsh iron-distance race, that goes from point to point and from fjord to mountain in Norway since 2003.

The distance is the same as an “Ironman”, so 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike and 42.2 km run. However, the difference here is the point-to-point course in Patagonia, in a unique surrounding and extreme conditions. The swim leg of the race starts with the jump from a ferry boat into the icy-cold waters of the Aysén Fjord (10-12C), then to swim back to Puerto Chacabuco. The cycling leg of the race will roll on the only 180 km of the Carretera Austral that have actual pavement, all the way to Cerro Castillo, and it will finish with a marathon through dirt trail and rubble road 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 who will assist them throughout the race. This companion will be transported by the organization from T1 to two different points along the bike course, then to T2 and finally to two different points along the running course. From this last place (Km 28) the support will be allowed to join their athlete running together to the finish line. Besides this support, there will be only two supply stations. One in the cycling part (Km 90) and other one in the running part (Km 21).

There are only 300 slots for athletes. The enrollment will begin on December 13th, 2017 and will close on the 31st of the same month. However, this is not a first-come, first-served event. During that period, anyone can buy a lottery ticket to have the option to participate in the event. That ticket cost $10 USD and the total amount collected from this process will go to charity. After that period, there will be a lottery for all who participate in the enrollment process and the 300 lucky winners will be selected and notified by email. They will have one week to confirm and pay their registration. Registration cost $690 USD. If after those seven days the payment is not completed, the slot will roll to another athlete.

The race is supported by the Chile Olympic Committee, the National Sports Institute, Bureau of National Tourism, the Armada de Chile and the local authorities. This race is possible thanks to the great support of the excellent sponsors.

The place of the race – PATAGONMAN XTRI

At South America’s southernmost tip lies a vast and wild land that has been barely settled or civilized since humans first arrived tens of thousands of years ago. Patagonia is, as Bruce Chatwin famously wrote, “the farthest place to which man walked from his place of origin”, and to this day it retains near-mythical status in the minds of the world’s adventurers.

Spanning both Chile and Argentina, Patagonia is home to fantastic mountain peaks, vast and empty steppes, glaciers and icefields, and stunning national parks. It is an incredibly display of natural beauty, virtually untouched by the hands of man.

The term Patagonia comes from the word PATAGON used by Magellan in 1520 to describe the native people of the region. At the time Magellan believed the natives to be giants, however it is now believed that these Patagones were actually Tehuelches, who were somewhat taller than their European counterparts.
The weather is incredibly unpredictable; never rely on local weather forecasts when planning a trip. The ideal time to visit is between October and March (their summertime) as weather is warmer and there is more daylight.

There are many national parks located in Patagonia, each with their own unique charms. Some of the most famous in the Chilean side are: Torres del Paine, Laguna San Rafael, Queulat, Chiloé and Cabo de Hornos (Cape Horn).

The region offers some of the world’s best trekking circuits as the famous “W” and “O” circuits in Torres del Paine. You can also find tours to see whales, orcas, penguins, condors, puma and many other beautiful creatures up close. Valdes Peninsula is home to Patagonia’s famous Welsh communities, descendants of colonists who still speak Welsh. Crossing the Magellan Straight is not complicated at all and provides the opportunity to explore Tierra del Fuego, one of the most remotes places on Earth, where the beautiful town of Ushuaia serves as getaway for the courageous who would venture into an Antarctic journey.

This is PATAGONMAN XTRI

At their early thirties a group of three Chilean triathletes passionate about triathlon and nature, were constantly debating between two of their greatest loves: practising triathlon and travelling the world to see natural wonders. It was then that they discovered Aysén, the jewel of Patagonia. Aysén is an isolated region, a unique place on earth… it’s wild and extreme as itself and it’s arguably one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

This race was created in a moment when triathlon was booming worldwide. More and more races were showing up like mushrooms after the rain but there was a group of people trying to maintain the sport pure, true and full of positive principles. It was thanks to those people that PATAGONMAN XTRI and other races of the Xtri World Tour were born.

PATAGONMAN XTRI course runs point-to-point, or fjord to lake. It starts before sunrise in the Aysén Fjord, where the athletes must jump from a ferryboat into the icing cold water, to swim 3.8 kilometres toward Puerto Chacabuco where they can exit the water and find their bikes in the first transition area (T1). From there, they ride 180 kilometres into the windy, winding and hilly road of the famous Carretera Austral to Cerro Castillo, one of the most scenic postcards of Patagonia where they can leave their bikes in the second transition area (T2). From there, they run 42.2 kilometres of dirt trail and rubble road following the Ibáñez River through forest, next to beautiful lakes and waterfalls all the way to the General Carrera Lake, another landmark of the region.

PATAGONMAN XTRI was created with the support of Norseman “the ultimate triathlon on the planet”. Norseman started in 2003 and grew fast enough to be considered today one of the most important triathlons on Earth. It ended up developing a whole new category of races, a new type of triathlon, the Xtri or Extreme Triathlon Races. In order to secure a great standard for this races Norseman, Swissman and Celtman created the Xtri World Tour of which PATAGONMAN XTRI is proud to be part of as a 2018 prospect race.

This race is about maintaining the sport pure, bringing triathlon back to its roots and challenging the human body to its limits in a constant connection with nature.

Enrollment – PATAGONMAN XTRI

We are expecting a high demand of people wanting to participate in the first edition of Patagonman Xtri 2018. That’s why starting slots will be allocated by a draw, same as for Norseman, our partner race in the Northern Hemisphere.

Enrollment for 2018 will open on December 13th, 2017 at 9pm GMT and will close on December 31st, 2017 at 6pm GMT.

This is NOT a first come first serve event. All who enrol at any time during the days that enrollment is open, have a ticket in the draw.

Due to our very limited capacity in our race, we can only accept individual registrations for the draw.

If you apply for 2018 with no luck and apply again for 2019 you will get two chances in the 2019 draw. If you’re unlucky again for 2019 and try for 2020 you will get three chances and so on. This will never be a guarantee for a slot, but it will improve your chances compared to people registering for the first time.

Each lottery ticket has a cost of $10USD and the total amount collected from this process will go directly to charity.

If you get lucky?

If you have luck in our 2017 draw, we will send you an e-mail confirming this. The e-mail will contain a personal access code for our registration site. You will have 7 days to complete the registration and payment. If you for whatever reason have not completed your registration within this time limit, the slot will be passed on to an athlete on our “runners-up” list.

The participation fee is $690 USD. Your slot is not confirmed until payment is done. You will need a valid credit card to pay (there are no exceptions to this).

We expect to finalize the draw by January 8th and deadline for payment will be January 15th.

Slots

We will award a total of 300 slots.