Conquering the Atacama Crossing (Chile)

Stage 1: 41.4k
(hours:minutes:seconds) 

Jocelyn: 08:38:46
Stéphane:  06:12:13

Stéphane crossed the finish line in 19th place out of 69 listed competitors. Front-runner Jimmi Olsen of Denmark had to pulled out of the race due to injured tendons in his ankle.

Photos still not coming through from the official race site - but all competitors have crossed the finish line and are resting, eating, sleeping until tomorrows Stage 2.

Race FAQs
Twenty one countries will be represented by Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2008 competitors
The youngest competitor is 21 and the eldest is 63 years old
84% of the competitors are male; 16% are female
Approximately one third of the competitors hail from the Asia, one third from North America and one third from Europe
Six continents are represented: Asia, Africa, Australia/New Zealand, North America, South America and Europe
The largest contingent of competitors hails from the United Kingdom, followed by the United States
South Africa is fielding its largest contingent ever with seven.
Three competitors will be attempting to be the first to complete the 4 Deserts in one calendar year: South African Paul H. Liebenberg, Dane Jimmi Olsen, and American Dean N. Karnazes
Joey Kelly, a well know singer from Germany, will be competing in his second 4 Deserts event (a German television crew will follow Joey)
Kyoung Tae Song, a blind competitor from Korea, will be participating in his third 4 Deserts event (he has successfully completed the Sahara Race and the Gobi March; a leading Korean television channel, KBS, will follow Kyoung Tae) - Kyoung Tae will be led by his 21-year-old son
The official team from Chile is Team Brunton/Gerber/Andesgear - the team is sponsored by Fiskars Brands, owner of the highly-respected Brunton and Gerber brands
Intel will be providing special Classmate laptops for the Cybertent
Medical Director, Brandee L. Waite, M.D., of the University of California at Davis will be working at her eight 4 Deserts eventv
The Atacama Desert is 15 million years old and 50 times more arid than California’s Death Valley
Some of the oldest mummies found on earth come from the Atacama, dating as far back as 9000 years
Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2008 competitors, volunteer and staff will consume more than 7,000 liters of water over seven days
The entire race will be held at least one mile (1600m) above sea level and cover the distance required to make a horizontal crossing of the country of Chile (250 kilometers)
The day time temperatures expected are 32 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) while night time temperatures may drop to 16 Celsius (61 Fahrenheit) or lower
The Atacama Desert has the most lunar-like landscape on Earth and is frequently used by NASA to test its Mars rover vehicles
The Atacama Crossing is the most renowned outdoor event in Chile