Huairasinchi means “the wind’s force” in the ancient Quichua tongue. It is the name given to one of the World’s toughest adventure race that takes place at some of Ecuador’s most amazing spots. It is a three-day long race where the contestant teams from all around the World go beyond their limits and struggle with all their strength to complete the route through different sport disciplines such as mountain bike riding, trail running, paddling and fixed ropes; and good orientation skills.
Each year, this adventure competition takes the teams through remote places full of friendly people, historical richness and natural beauty. This year on its 7th edition, from February 13th to 15th, the 2010 Huairasinchi Race took place at the provinces of Carchi and Imbabura. The route was carefully planned to take the teams through magical places such as the Cuicocha and Yaguarcocha lakes, the humid forest of Apuela, the Piñan and Ángel plateaus, the Guadual area and the Chota Valley, among others. As the race is part of the “AR World Series”, the winners will get a place at the Bimbache Extreme in Spain, a race that gathers the champions from all the different AR races taking place at Argentina, Australia, Costa Rica, France, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and the US.
Jari Kirkland, member of the 2006 Huairasinchi winning team, talking about his experience at the race said: “The view, the scenery and everything else far exceeded my expectations. I honestly believe it could be the most beautiful country. It’s not very big and yet you have many different things so close from one another. We walked in the jungle yesterday and, a couple of hours later, we were already in the hills and mountains.” Considering that statement, we can tell that the Huairasinchi is much more than an adventure race. This race is a way of living that shows how to reach goals, going beyond physical and mental limits and learning to respect and protect nature.
Photo: Jonathan Thorne and Hjvannes
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