El Chalten: Mountain Runners Paradise
El Chalten from the perspective of a mountain runner in a nutshell. Overall I covered over 284 km with 8725m +/-, and spent over 34 hours in these mountains. Although I got to most of the major landmarks and a fair few lesser known areas, it feels like I could spend a year there and still not know all the beauty. As a runner on these trails you will have to at times stop for hikers on the more well known trails, and trail etiquette is of utmost importance to both care for the land and not ruin runners repuatations in what is know as the Trekking Capital of Patagonia. But if you enjoy these trails respectfully and responsibly then you are in for the adventure of a lifetime.
Travel Gym: Strength and Conditioning on the Go
Keeping up with the oh so important strength work required to be a robust athlete while traveling around the globe can seem like a mission destined for failure, no matter what intentions you start out with. It needn't though, because with the gear available today even the lightest traveller can take just one or two items that make a full body workout possible in any setting - and if you've carted even one small piece of gear halfway around the world, it's a lot easier to find the motivation to use it! I have refined and tested many different gear combinations to create the best travel gym for me, and the one I have going now seems to be working in terms of keeping it interesting enough to want to use it, and actually keeping me strong.
Race Recap: The Archie 53km Ultra Marathon
It didn’t feel good, but I was able to run the rest of the way down and almost had energy to spare, just not much pain tolerance left for the day. I was getting a little teary as I realized it was coming to an end and I had finally done it. As people started to come into view and cheer though, the tears once again turned to a smile of relief, of joy, of satisfaction, and of pure gratitude. Getting a massive hug from the inspirational legend that is Andy, the founder of the Oscars100 Charity and father of Oscar and Archie, was an incredibly meaningful and moving end to what was a perfectly tough, beautiful, and exciting start to my Ultra Running endeavours.
Two Months Backpacking Patagonia on a Student Budget: My Complete Itinerary and Costs
This post is an FYI of the basics involved in my trip backpacking patagonia, in case you want to plan a similar trip yourself. There is as much information on costs and simple logistics here as I can remember, although no doubt I've missed something so take it as an approximate. If you are looking to plan anything in the areas I visited and would like more detailed information, don't hesitate to message and I'll happily help in any way I can.