THE CHALLENGES
Discovery Channel Eco-Challenge is a multisport endurance competition pitting some of the world's top expedition racers against each other. This year, teams raced through a 197-mile course across extreme southern Argentina. The course also dipped briefly into Chile, and extended from deep in the glacier-fed Patagonian rivers to high in the windy Andes.

A team consists of four athletes, and each team must include at least one woman (or, if it's a predominantly female team, at least one man). All members of a team must finish the race in order for that team to officially complete the race and receive a ranking.

The "challenges" — or athletic skills needed to complete the course — can change from year to year. The one constant is that all events are self-propelled. In Patagonia, they ranged from white-water kayaking to glacier climbing. Use the pull-down list above to learn more about each athletic challenges the athletes faced.