2010 marks the 7th edition of the Huairasinchi Adventure Race. It is also a member of the AR World Series (Check out our 2010 AR World Series Preview on Huairasinchi).

Huairasinchi (pronounced War-uh-sin-chee), meaning the ‘strength of the wind’ takes place in the high country of Ecuador and is the highest adventure race on the planet.

The reason that I could not leave Pittsburgh!

In 2009, Team Adventure World Magazine competed in the event. Jacob Thompson (captain) and his team (also the guys that are Riding The Spine) competed using newly acquired and borrowed equipment to participate. As they were riding their bikes from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, all of their possessions were attached to their bikes so it was important to purchase or borrow the necessary gear to meet the guidelines for the race. Not being able to procure his size in running shoes for the event, Jacob raced the trekking sections of the race in rubber boots.

In 2010, the Ministry of Tourism (one of the race sponsors) is sponsoring Adventure World Magazine’s presence at the event. It was supposed to be myself and Jason Heflin (contributing editor to AWM) flying to Quito on Wednesday, February 10. However, due to extreme weather (the kind that we have not had here in February in over 150 years) conditions in western PA, I was unable to get out of the city. Fortunately, Jason was flying out of Nashville and is currently in the capitol city.

Here are some of his initial thoughts on his first visit to Quito:

The view of the city from Jason

If first impressions are everything, Quito has it all. Massive snow covered volcanoes are the backdrop for this very clean and modern city. Quito has a culturally diverse population of 1.4 million spread throughout a 50 km valley. Indigenous people from the highlands bring their vegetables and handmade wares to market in the city daily. The streets are bustling as the locals prepare for Carnivàle. According to my guide Diego, businesses and schools will begin to shut down tomorrow and will be out through next Tuesday. On the main square today people were gathered to watch a concert provided to the public. School children were throwing water on each other as they left school, a “fun” Carnivàle tradition according to Diego.

Taking in the landscape surrounding Quito from the seventh floor of the hotel I can see why Ecuador is the perfect setting for an epic adventure race. The Andean region of Ecuador is a mix of lush green valleys, steep slopes, and massive volcanoes, the highest of which rises above 20,000 feet. The weather was perfect today, blue skies and 70 degree temps. But in an instant this afternoon dark clouds swarmed into the valley and now there is a steady rain. There is no doubt the teams competing in the Huairasinchi must be prepared not only for the altitude and extreme terrain but also for the unpredictable weather they will be dealing with.

Tomorrow, he will be making his way to the site of this year’s race for team check-in and gear checks. The race starts on Saturday so look for continuous updates from Jason as the teams prepare for this epic race in the Andes!