Expreso De Los Andes: The Best Laid Plans..

A few days back I posted an update on the Expreso De Los Andes expedition which has seen ultrarunners Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely, along with some of their closest impossible2Possible friends, attempting to run from Chile's Pacific Coast to Argentina's Atlantic Coast. A distance of more than 1700km (1056 miles) that includes a tough crossing of the Andes mountain range. In that update I noted that the team was facing a number of tough challenges, not the least of which was the fact that torrential downpours and flooded the entire region. Now it turns out those rains have altered the plan completely as Ray explains in the video below.

In a nutshell, much of the runners' intended route is now under three feet of water, making it nearly impossible for them to continue along their planned path. Where the route is accessible on foot they are left without support vehicles for incredibly long lengths as well, which adds an entirely different problem. They attempted to run along a different road, following a nearby highway, but that proved to be completely unsafe and was soon abandoned.

So now what? Well Ray, Kevin and the rest of the i2P squad have now moved on to Buenos Aires, their intended finishing spot, where they will continue run a portion of the route to wrap up the expedition. This isn't how they hoped to finish things out, but sometimes Mother Nature has other plans for us. Find out more below.


Day 17 - Altered Plans from GOi2P on Vimeo.

Expreso De Los Andes Update: Challenges Abound!

It has been a few days since I last posted an update on the Expreso De Los Andes expedition which currently has Ray Zahab, Kevin Vallely, and other members of the impossible2Possible crew running across the South American continent. Since we last checked in, the team has been making steady progress although there have been a number of serious challenges to overcome as well.

For those who haven't been following this adventure so far, endurance athletes Ray and Kevin are attempting to run from the Pacific Coast in Chile to the Atlantic Coast in Argentina. To do so they'll have to cover approximately 1700km (1056 miles) and cross over the Andes Mountain Range. Along the way, they're interfacing with a number of classrooms where they hope to inspire students and teachers alike to pursue a healthy lifestyle and mix exercise into their daily routine.

Over the past week the runners have covered significant chunks of mileage, although not the distances they had hoped for. By now they had hoped to be running in the neighborhood of 70km (43.4 miles) per day but tougher than expected conditions haven't helped to facilitate that. For instance, temperatures have been very warm and the trails that they are running haven't always been the best either. On top of that, Ray suffered an injury to his quadricep muscle which has slowed him down some as well.

Those aren't the only issues they've been dealing with however as they've also faced some strong headwinds which have made it tough going at times as well. They've also had their fair share of encounters with the wildlife too including a variety of snakes, insects, and tarantulas. As if all of that wasn't enough, the entire region they are running through received torrential rains yesterday which flooded the entire area. As a result, the planned path of their run is currently underwater and some of the main roads are dangerous as well. That means they're likely to see little progress today although they are continuing ahead as scheduled.

The team has moved into Argentina now and the hope is that once the Andes are completely behind them that the distances can amp up to 100km (62 miles) per day. But in order for that to happen the weather conditions must be right and the runners need to be fully healthy. They still have several weeks to go before they are done, but considering Ray and Kevin's track records, we know they'll do everything in their power to reach the finish line, aka the Atlantic Ocean.

Expreso De Los Andes: Crossing The Andes

As I mentioned last week, Ray Zahab, Kevin Vallely, and the rest of the impossible2Possible team have started their Expreso De Los Andes expedition. Over the next few weeks, they will be running west to east across the South American continent, covering more than 1700km (1056 miles), while also inspiring students and educators back home to adopt a more healthy and active lifestyle.

When last we checked in with Ray and Kevin, they had dipped their toes into the Pacific Ocean and were just getting underway. The plan was to ease into the run with a few days of shorter distances to get things started. In this case, "shorter distance" means about 45km (28 miles), which would eventually climb up to 70km (43.4 miles) per day once they felt acclimated. That didn't take very long however, as the runners have already started hitting those marks, and yesterday alone Ray ran more than 100km (62 miles).

The team has also now crossed the border between Chile and Argentina and are firmly into the Andes Mountains, which will of course be their biggest challenge. When they first got underway, the heat of the austral summer was taking its toll, but now that they are hitting the higher altitudes of the journey, cooler weather has set in. Those cooler temps bring a bit of relief of course, but now the team is dealing with thin air at altitude and long, steep climbs up the mountains.

To get a sense of what the conditions are like, check out the video below. It was shot a few days back when the team covered approximately 65km in a single day, of which 35km was climbing. The views are spectacular of course, but when you're running at altitude, I'm not sure you feel much like taking it all in. Still, it looks like they're having a great time on this adventure.


Expreso de los Andes Day 7 - 65km from GOi2P on Vimeo.

Expreso De Los Andes 2012: They're Off

Last week I mentioned that Ray Zahab, Kevin Vallely, and the impossible2Possible crew were getting ready to launch their Expreso De Los Andes expedition, during which they'll be spending the next few weeks running west to east across South America. The run did get underway as expected, and the athletes began by dipping their hand in the Pacific Ocean and then starting to head east. They'll finish when they reach the Atlantic Ocean near Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The video below gives us glimpse of what their first day was like. They managed to cover 45km (28 miles), but after the find their rhythm, they hope to amp that up to closer to 70km (43.4 miles) per day. That isn't going to be easy however, as the terrain will be very demanding, including a traverse over the Andes Mountains, and it is also incredibly warm where they are at right now. Still, Ray and Kevin are two very experienced endurance athletes, and if anyone can complete this run, it will be these two. It should be fun to follow their progress.



Expreso de los Andes Day 1 - 45km from GOi2P on Vimeo.

i2P Announces Expreso De Los Andes 2012 Expedition

The crew over at impossible2Possible are gearing up for another expedition, this time turning their sights back to South America and the Andes Mountains. This morning, they launched a new website to share all of the details of their Expreso De Los Andes 2012 expedition, and as always with i2P, the mission goes well beyond just an adventure in the wild.

Starting February 18, Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely will set out on foot from the city of Concón, which sits along Chile's Pacific Coast. They'll begin heading east and won't stop until they reach Buenos Aires, on the Atlantic Coast of Argentina. The 1700km (1056 mile) run will traverse the South American continent and include a very challenging crossing of the Andes Mountains along the way.

The plan is for Ray and Kevin to start out averaging about 70km (43.4 miles) per day, even into (and over!) the Andes, and then increasing the pace to 100km (62.1 miles) once they have put the mountains behind them. A support crew will place resupply caches about ever 20-30km as well, keep the runners will stocked with food, water, and gear along the way. Those are some very impressive numbers when you consider that much of the journey will be conducted on mountain roads and trails, and sometimes over open terrain as well. But both of these men are experienced ultra-runners who have faced similar daunting situations in the past.

If you're familiar with i2P, than you already know that the organization always manages to weave an educational element into each of their programs. On previous expeditions to India, Bolivia, the Antarctic, and a host of other destinations, the members of the team have always interacted with students in classrooms in a variety of locations, looking to inspire them through adventure, while also educating them about some of the more pressing issues of the day. The Expreso De Los Andes expedition will be no different, although it has a few new elements to the formula as well.

This time out, the i2P team is focused on health and physical activity, and they're looking to inspire not only the students, but teachers and administrators as well. To help in that cause, they've enlisted school principal George Singfield, who is transforming his life from one that is lacking in on the sedentary side, to one that is much more physically active. "Principal George" has worked with Ray to develop a training program, and while the guys are busy running across South America, he'll be preparing for the Ottawa Half-Marathon, which takes place at the end of May. George, who also suffers from diabetes, also has his sights set on a 50km trail run event in the fall as well.

The teachers and students in George's three schools are also being challenges as well, and the i2P staff has created some very basic conditioning and running programs for them to undertake too. The hope is that by following Ray and Kevin on their adventure, and watching their Principal reshape his life, that others will be inspired to do the same. The program is open for other schools to join in as well, and a special Student Challenge section has been created on the website that will allow everyone to get in on the fun and share their own experiences as well.

I'm always amazed at how ambitious the i2P projects are. They are such a great blend of education and adventure, and I love that Ray and the team have found a way to inspire young people in this way. This looks like it'll be another great example of that, and I can't wait to follow along with the daily updates, blog reports, and videos from the field in February.