Conquering the Atacama Crossing (Chile)

Race results have not been posted yet - but a summary has:

From RacingThePlanet

Daily Update: Stage Five

It’s an infamous slog through the night for all but the fastest competitors in Stage Five, otherwise known as The Long Day, a double-length stage that stretches 73 kilometers through the Atacama and many different parts of its varied terrain. As midnight approaches in the Atacama, about two-thirds of the competitors are still on the course, guided through the pitch-black darkness by glowsticks that light the way. For those who walk past midnight, the rising moon may give them an slight boost of light – but it’s only a sliver tonight, so most will be relying on their mandatory headlamps to light their way.

Today’s stage began with another pass through the salt flats, which were described in this morning’s course briefing as “blindingly-white granola bits” that cover the ground. (Race photographer Wouter Kingma described it as “like walking on cauliflower.”) The runners moved on to sandy desert, through narrow winding canyons, up a tall sand dune on the side of a ridge, across a plateau covered with strange rock formations, down another steep dune into a sweeping valley, down the valley, up through the Valley of the Moon, whose alien-like rock formations are one of this region’s primary tourist attractions, and finally down through a winding canyon whose walls are covered in salt.

Camp for tonight and tomorrow night is set just below a small, windy ridge just a few kilometers from the town ofSan Pedro. Competitors will spend a rest day there tomorrow before the last short run to the finish line on Saturday morning. Today’s results are expected to determine the race’s winner.

Chilean Juan Encina easily won the stage in a stunning 8 hours and 24 minutes. Encina had been running as a member of the Chilean Brunton/Gerber/Andesgear team until last night, when the team decided to compete instead as individuals. American Dean Karnazes claimed second place for the stage, coming in 9 hours and 14 minutes after he started. Welshman Rob James took third place in 10 hours 24 minutes.

There were two separate starts this morning, in order to give slower competitors time to complete more of the course while it was still light. The quicker group overtook them over the first and second segments of the course. As of 7 pm, the course medical team reported only one significant medical intervention, for a nauseous and dehydrated competitor who needed an IV at a checkpoint. Dr. Brandee Waite reports that his condition improved rapidly and he was allowed to continue, carrying extra water.

Stay tuned for more breaking news updates through tomorrow on competitors as they cross the finish line, and for the full stage results in tomorrow’s stage update.