Press Release: British Couple Beleived First To Have Run the Carretera Austral
David and Katharine Lowrie, 34 year-old British adventure runners, are believed to be the first people in the world to have run the entire length of Chile's wild and mountainous Carretera Austral. 
They ran on average 30 km per day, sharing turns pulling the trailer. They have just arrived into Puerto Montt, 1,200 km and nearly two months later.
Starting on 13th September 2012 in Villa O'Higgins, they ran north day after day, through snow, wind and rain. The run was completely self-supported, as they pulled all their food, tent, bedding etc. in a trailer they made from recycled materials.
"It has been tougher than we ever imagined but is an amazing feeling to have run every section of the world's most stunning and gruelling road. The great thing about running is that you are slow enough and quiet enough to see wildlife. The wildernesses in which the Carretera Austral threads through still provide habitat for some of the finest, but also some of the most threatened wildlife.
We have watched regal Andean vultures gliding effortlessly above our heads, slept near  to where pumas hunt, crossed paths with the tiny pudu  deer, run metres away from the endangered huemul deer and caught a glimpse of the world's second oldest tree, the Alerce. We feel completely priviledged".
The run was not all "plain sailing". Two of their trailer axels sheared from the trailer battered by the tough surface only two days into the expedition; they had to stop for two days when Katharine injured her ankle and also when David developed a high fever. The friendiness of people along the way, however, made up for any of their setbacks.
"People have been extremely kind; we were offered sandwiches and drinks from passing motorists, even mate'; people stopped to talk and find out what the crazy running apparition was about and hooted and clapped our passage!"
The husband and wife team are raising money for Conservacion Patagonica, asking Chileans and people from around the world to help them fund local school visits to Valle Chacabuco,where children can learn about the restoration of over-grazed grasslands and the amazing wildlife and sustainable livlihoods they suport.
Running the Carretera Austral was a dream that Katharine and David have finally fulfilled,  but their expedition, "the 5000mileproject.org" has not  ended. They started on July 28 2012 at Cabo Froward, south of Punta Arenas and will continue running north, leaving Chile east of Puerto Varas, crossing to Bariloche and north to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, into Brazil through Manaus and finally to Venezuela and the Caribbean Sea.
"The 5000mileproject is not just about running, we've created an online-classroom so that schools from around the world can get involved with the real life expedition. We  have presented to schools along th way about the expedition and also about the importance of functioning ecosytems. Running through the clean air and drinking from the pristine streams of Patagonia is a graphic example of how critical healthy forests, marshes and grasslands are in ensuring human health."
If you are a school who would like to get involved with the 5000mileproject: "running for South America's wildlife and wildplaces", Katharine and David would love to hear from you. They write regular education blogs, create videos, present to schools along their route and can also connect with your class through a live video call. Contact them at www.5000mileproject.org and www.facebook.com/5000mileproject . If you would like to make a donation to their charity, Conservacion Patagonica, you can also do so on their website.