ECO CHALLENGE RACE BEGINS IN PATAGONIA

BARILOCHE, Dec 2 (Hina) - This year's "Discovery Channel Eco- Challenge", the world's most difficult expedition race, began Thursday with the most difficult and the most uncertain race so far. Fifty-one teams from 31 countries are facing the challenge of traversing 400 km of Patagonia's exciting, intimidating and stunningly beautiful wilderness. "Team Croatia" includes captain Simun Cimerman, a waterpolo player; Irena Palosek, a climber; Abdulah Selimovic, an officer with the 1st Croatian Guard Corps; and Josko Bozic, a rock climber and paraglider. The Croatian team has already taken part in similar races, the last one being the 1998 Morocco race, when the team was one of the surprises of the event, reaching the winning post as the 18th team and the 11th nation. According to "Eco-Challenge" rules, teams must have four members, of whom at least one must be female. Their task is to cross the wilderness using exclusively man-powered means. The race is not time-limited and lasts 24 hours a day. The contestants are required to carry with them all the necessary equipment and food, and decide for themselves how much and if at all they will sleep. In case a team member gives up the race due to injuries, exhaustion or illness, the whole team is disqualified. The Patagonia race is taking place mostly in a mountainous region and requires disciplines such as ice-climbing, glacier-trekking, traversing, climbing down alpinist cordage, and conquering the 3,480-metre high Tronador summit in the Andes. Participants are also expected to cover 90 km by kayaking in mountain lakes, and will have to use their skills in rafting, horseback riding, and long-lasting and in navigation terms demanding trekking. (hina) lml/rml