Tierra Indómita Vulcania was the 3rd Adventure Racing World Series Qualifier of the year, and the expedition race delivered everything promised by its intriguing title, taking teams into the untamed lands amongst the volcanoes of Chile.

The venue for this third edition of the race was Lonquimay, a provincial town set high in the Andean hills of Araucania, close to the border with Argentina. Racers from 8 nations, including a strong entry from Argentina, travelled to Chile to experience the wild landscapes of Patagonia and the race winners were the combined French and Spanish team ‘Expenature.fr/TrackTheRace’.

The 485km course, set by Race Director Nelson Yañez, began in Lonquimay with a fast and fun orienteering stage to find 25 checkpoints around the town. It was an opportunity for the racers to explore the host town which had welcomed them, and for the local population to see the teams before they set off on their big adventure. It was also a way for the racers to warm up as conditions were freezing!

The first full stage of the race was a trek on which teams had to make multiple crossings of the Rio Lonquimay, linking arms and wading waist deep through the frigid waters, before paddling back downstream on stage two. Stage 3 was the first of three long bike rides and then came one of the race highlights, the 50km trek over Cráter Navidad and to the summit of Volcán Lonquimay at 2865m. Those teams lucky enough to summit in daylight could see the surrounding volcanoes of Llaima, Villarrica, Lanín, Quetrupillan and Sierra Nevada, much of the race course and its rivers and lakes, in the panoramic view.

By this stage the race winners had taken the lead but even for the fastest team the conditions were demanding as they crossed the sharp rocks and unforgiving terrain, navigating at night on the barren volcano slopes and coping with the intense cold.

Romuald Viale of Expenature.fr/TrackTheRace described the early stages of their race. “Everything began with an urban Rogaine race in subzero temperatures. What better way to warm up! We then moved on to the first trekking section where we had to plunge into the icy waters right after the first checkpoint. The tone was set: technical, demanding, and ... wet. It took us several kilometres on frozen ground before finally feeling the warmth of the sun's rays. It was just an illusion, but enough to thaw our frozen limbs.”

On the river paddle stage he described “constantly bailing out water, only to realize that it wasn’t just surface water, the inside of the kayak was soaked, giving me some unexpected muscle cramps from carrying so many extra kilos of water.”

His team took the lead at the end of the following bike ride, which included 3500m of climbing, and talking about the volcano trek he said, “The Lonquimay ascent held many surprises. We had to balance fear management, asthma from the volcanic dust, and breathtaking landscapes. At one point, just before sunrise, we got slightly lost in near zero visibility. We lost an hour, but our morale remained strong and navigating through the lava fields like explorers, we regained our lead, stabilizing a 40-minute advantage over the other teams thanks to good map reading.”

Following a cold 120km cycle ride through majestic forests and plains, the second kayak stage was held on clear blue waters of the Icalma Lake, one of the sources of the mighty Biobio River, the second largest in Chile. Then came a second volcano trek of 30km, taking teams to the summit of Volcán Betea Mahuida (1948m).

Viale described this stage as; “A thrilling and icy descent. We raced down the slopes like freeriders (at least in our minds). Here, we rediscovered the mystical beauty of the terrain: craters, young volcanoes, and, most importantly, the majestic force of nature.”

Of the last 90km ride to the finish in Lonquimay he said, “The cold became more intense than ever. Our water bottles turned to ice in -10C and the wind was merciless. But what kept us going was our ability to support one another, to share both the suffering and the euphoria. Every sunrise was a gift, every climb a victory.”

The team of Romuald Viale, Mariana Pontes Marques, Adrian Moreira and Marcos Muiño, completed the course in 3 days 4 hours and 59 minutes and Viale concluded, “This adventure taught us that victory is not just about physical or technical performance. Our ability to navigate harsh terrain, endure extreme weather conditions, and, most importantly, our teamwork and solidarity helped us overcome every challenge.

“Beyond the physical obstacles, the spiritual aspect of this journey left the biggest impact. At every summit and crater we felt our smallness in the face of nature’s grandeur. We realized that mutual support drives us forward, just as nature itself thrives through balance.”

As the winners of an Adventure Racing World Series Qualifier the team claims a free place at the Adventure Racing World Championship in Canada in September.

The podium places were completed by Outdoor XK Race (Argentina) and Team Chile-Argentina AR, and at the final count 8 of the 13 teams that started succeeded in completing the challenging course. Race Director Nelson Yañez and his team are currently working on the route for next year’s race and will announce more information shortly.

To find out more about Tierra Indómita; https://tierraindomitaar.com/en-us/
For more information about the Adventure Racing World Series; https://www.arworldseries.com/
To replay the race tracking; https://tracktherace.com/en/sports-events/adventure-races/tierra-indomita-vulcania/race