Ultra Fiord

Credit : Ultra fiord The 2nd edition will take place the 14th-16th of April, 2016 Runners from 24 countries are already signed up. The race is located in the untouched fiords of Chilean Patagonia. PUNTA ARENAS, CHILE (November 25th, 2015) — After the resounding success of the first ever Ultra Fiord race, the 2016 edition is shaping up to provide the same staggering scenery and high level of challenge. The race will be held in the Provincia de Última Esperanza (Province of Last Hope), a region characterized by thousands of kilometers of fiords, in South-Western Patagonia. It will take place from the 14th to the 16th of April, and include distances of 100 miles, 100km, 70km, 50km, and 30km. Registration is filling up quickly, and athletes will be arriving from across 6 continents. Of the 24 countries represented, a large number of athletes hail from Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Uruguay, France, Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Runners are also traveling from such diverse locales as Japan, Peru, Costa Rica, Australia, Portugal, Colombia, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, the U.K., Poland, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, and South Africa. The race’s online presence has been growing steadily, too: in just 7 months since the inaugural edition, the Ultra Fiord Facebook page has gained over 42,000 followers from 45 countries. Race founder Stjepan Pavicic is gratified by the race’s swift international growth. “At the moment 60% of the athletes signed up are from outside of Chile,” he said, “I expect the number will be as high as 70% by the time we close registration. I’m thrilled to see such a multinational field.” Pavicic is also happy with the adjustments made for the next edition. The course will be very similar to the 2015 race, he says, and several tweaks have been made to create a “safer, more enjoyable race, with improved assistance at checkpoints and more stunning views along the way.” The 100 mile course, which previously measured an actual distance of 108 miles, has been reduced to 101. The start time has also been moved forward by 2 hours, so the race will begin at 10:00 pm on the 14th instead of midnight. These changes should put the runners in the high mountain zone of the course approximately 3 hours earlier, significantly improving visibility and safety. Smaller adjustments along the route have also been made, with an eye towards creating better photo opportunities. Finally, a new 50k distance category has been added, giving athletes more options for their level of competition. As the race grows and evolves with each new edition, conservation and sustainable development remain at center stage. Chilean Patagonia is home to unique eco- systems and untouched wilderness. Ultra Fiord aims to raise awareness for the need to conserve this land by presenting a stunning race course at the heart of the region. It also strives to positively impact Patagonia’s eco-tourism and encourage sustainable development within local communities. Xavier Thevenard, two-time champion of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, won last year’s Ultra Fiord 70k with a time of 8 hours and 46 minutes. Thevenard described the race as “super technical,” “wild,” and full of “mind-blowing landscapes.” “It is not possible to understand what a runner really goes through during a trail without having lived it,” he said, “especially a trail such as Ultra Fiord in Patagonia.” The 2016 edition will allow runners from around the world to understand that wild experience for themselves. Registration opened in August and will remain open until January 31st. Registration for Ultra Fiord may be made through their event partner’s official website

Credit : Ultra fiord - Ultra Fiord will take place between April 16-18, 2015 in Chilean Patagonia, starting near the Torres del Paine National Park, and ending in the city of Puerto Natales. - The event will feature four race distances: 30K, 70K, 100K, and 100 miles. - Runners from 7 countries have already registered for the event one month after the registration has been opened. The organizers that brought three editions of the Patagonian International Marathon from 2012-2014, the inaugural edition of Ultra Trail Torres del Paine in 2014, and ten successful editions of the Patagonian Expedition Race since 2004, the event deemed by BBC as “the Last Wild Race,” and by National Geographic as one of the “Ten Great Races in Amazing Places,” introduces a new, unique trail-running experience in Chilean Patagonia for 2015: Ultra Fiord. Ultra Fiord, which will take place from April 16th to April 18th in 2015, is an international trail-running event that looks to uncover the mystical and unknown world of fjords, thousands and thousands of kilometers that have accumulated throughout Chile’s extreme south by the passage of glaciers, but have been hidden from the world by the terms “seno,” “estrecho,” and “canal.” The event, which is a semi-autonomous, non-stop race to promote both the territory’s attractions and sustainable development of the local communities, will feature four distances: 30K, 70K, 100K, and a 100-mile race. All race distances will follow the same course. The 30K race, which begins in Hotel Rio Serrano, will have a maximum ascent of 260 meters above sea level, on the way to the finish at Hosteria Balmaceda. The 70K distance, which also begins at Hotel Rio Serrano, will have a maximum elevation of 1250 meters above sea level and will finish at Estancia Perales. The 100K race also begins at the Hotel Rio Serrano, and features a maximum elevation point of 1250 meters above sea level; while the 100-mile race will start at Villa Cerro Castillo, make the ascent to and from the maximum elevation of 1250 meters above sea level, and reach the finish, also located in the city of Puerto Natales. Registration for the event has been open for a month, beginning on November 5, 2014, and will remain open until March 7, 2015. The event has registered runners from seven different countries: Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, France, and New Zealand. The event is open to all runners eighteen years old and above with substantial running experience, with the necessary quality and quantity being determined by the organization after registration. There will be five age groups, divided between men and women, ranging in groups of ten, which are 18 – 29, 30 – 39, 40 – 49, 50 – 59, and 60 and above for the four race distances. “The creation of Ultra Fiord has been a great challenge. We wanted to create an innovative trail-running experience that differs from the usual and goes beyond adding miles,” said Stjepan Pavicic, the race director. “We needed a new, attractive, and challenging concept. Thus, the birth of Ultra Fiord, a long journey toward the magical world of fjords.” The term “Ultra Fiord” is the result of the combination between two concepts: Ultra and Fiord. Ultra, in a sports context, is associated with challenges that go beyond usual limits, which is the factor that defines the event’s character. The other term, which defines the foundation of this Ultra Trail Running, is Fiord (Fjord), or Fiordo in Spanish, and is used to highlight the many fjords located in Chilean Patagonia. The invitation is still open to uncover Chile’s best-kept “secret”: the mysterious, breathtaking, and unknown world of fjords in Chilean Patagonia. Registration for Ultra Fiord may be made through the official website: English: Registration Spanish: Inscripción