"The PATAGONIA EXPEDITION RACE takes place in one of the most isolated, untouched, savage and spectacular corners of our planet, southern Patagonia, the southernmost tip of South America. A region which makes race organization a difficult and complicated task, the maritime segments of the route consist of a labyrinth of fiords and canals, and the land segments at times can be limited or even blocked due to changing weather. Since 2002 a human team that is both multidisciplinary and multinational, with many years of accumulated experience in “expedition racing”, has been working to plan this event and on detailed planning of hundreds of kilometres of routes which pass through a region which is extremely isolated and nearly completely unpopulated. During the race, more than one hundred people, companies, institutions and governmental organizations come together, forming the team that organizes PATAGONIA EXPEDITION RACE, the adventure at the end of the world."

Teams and individuals from Brazil, Russia, France, Spain, Argentina, United States, Columbia, Chile, Costa-Rica, Ecuador, the European Union, and Peru all competed in this contest, and Master Corporal Mike Kotuk of The Calgary Highlanders was a member of the only Canadian team, sponsored by the King's Own Calgary Regiment.  The other members of the team were Tom Zidek, Devon Smibert, and Bonnie Seaborg.

Congratulations are in order to the team for placing 2nd out of 20 entries.  The race was some 600 km long.  Master Corporal Kotuk, whose wit is legendary among his friends in the Regiment, was quoted at sleepmonsters.com as saying: "For 70 km we had bog. But at least I got to swim in my Christmas underwear."

At right, Master Corporal Kotuk poses (third from left) with his team mates.