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: 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.

Expreso De Los Andes 2012 Expedition Begins Tomorrow

A month ago I posted the announcement from the impossible2Possible team that they would be setting off on a new expedition, this time to run west to east across South America. This new adventure was dubbed the Expreso De Los Andes 2012, and it is set to officially get underway tomorrow.

The plan is for ultra-runners Ray Zahab and Kevin Vallely to being their journey in the Chilean city of Concón, which sits along that country's Pacific coast. From there, they start running east, with the intention of covering roughly 1700km (1056 miles), before eventually ending at the Atlantic Oceain in Buenos Aires, Argentina. To get there, they'll first  have to traverse the Andes Mountain Range, and deal with running long distances at higher altitudes.

In the early stages of the run, Ray and Kevin intend to average about 70km (43.4 miles) per day. Once they clear the Andes however, they hope to amp those distance up to as much as 100km (62.1 miles) per day. They'll be aided along in the journey by a support crew, who will drop water and supply caches for them ever 20-30km as well.

As usual with any of the i2P expeditions, this run has an educational and inspirational component to it as well. On the Expreso De Los Andes expedition, the team is hoping to inspire young people to become more physically active, and to do that, the've enlisted a number of teachers and school administrators in a physical challenge program. One of those administrators is George Singfield, who is preparing to run a half-marathon in May. "Principal George," as he is known, happens to be diabetic, so he is learning the importance to taking care of his health, while improving his physical conditioning for the run. He, and a number of others, are hoping to inspire the children in their classrooms and schools by leading by example.

According to the i2P Twitter feed, the crew arrived in Santiago, Chile yesterday and, they should be making their way to Concón today, with the intention of setting out on schedule tomorrow. Throughout the run, we'll be able to track Ray and Kevin's progress on the expedition's official website, where they'll regularly be posting updates and videos.