Well, I have been home for a few days now, I have just about stopped eating and drinking everything in sight and my feet have returned to normal. I currently weigh about 14stone (I lost 1/2 stone during the race), so am now looking forward to getting back on the beef and putting back on the 2 1/2 stone I have now lost training and completing this race.
All in all the race went very well, I started very slowly (3rd from last after day one - 87th place) and moved up through the pack, through a combination of me getting faster, other runners gettng slower and people dropping out. I was extremely proud to finish the 90km stage in 24th and my overall standing rise to 32nd.
During the week I got stung about 20times by wasps, bitten innumerate times by ants and saw one snake (unfortunately I was having a wee at the time so did feel a little exposed). It was an amazing week (if a little frightening at times, the runners that dropped out after the second day were in quite a state!) but I don't think I will be rushing to return the rainforest is a pretty inhospitable place and there are certainly nicer places to spend a week.
If anyone is interested there is a documentary on ITV3/4 on the 3rd of December and an article on the Sunday Times on the first sunday in November.
Thank you to everyone for your donations and emails of support they were much appreciated.
regards
Kes
I have been very lax about updating this blog but hopefully you have all been keeping abrest of news on the JM website. K rang briefly to reassure me that he wasn't one of those who had to leave the race through dehydration; he sounded very sane and I was much assured! Anyway, here's the news to date as posted on the website - Zin
Stage 4 Report
Stage 2 took its toll on most of the field but even more so two of the faster runners both of whom were evacuated from the race with a heat stroke. Jungle Marathon takes place in an extreme location which offers dangers unique to the environment. Every measure is taken to minimise risk and provide safety, as two of our medics and our ambulance boat were away from race location, it was unthinkable to to continue without full support so stage 3 became a rest day.
Rather than miss the chance to see both stages, todays stage was a combination of the best (& worst) of stage 3 and stage 4
The stage began in Paraiso on a community trail taking runners into the jungle after 7km - then a further 25km of big climbs and descents the largest swamp crossing and a 200m swim across a creek. Runners arrived 100km refresh and animated, looking forward to the challenge of the 90km stage ahead.
Tonight will be spent in the community of Tauari, where runners get the chance to swim in a beautiful creek& relax before the taxing stage ahead.
Posted by: JM 2008 on Oct 14, 08 | 5:13 pm
Internet Outage by Inmarsat / Xantic
We faced an 12 hour internet outage which was caused by our satellite provider Inmarsat/Xantic.
So we were not able to Send/receive messages on Monday 13th. All updates / messages will be done tomorrow. Sorry for the delay,
As of now Tuesday 14th of october 1am everything is working fine again.
Andreas
Posted by: JM 2008 on Oct 14, 08 | 2:59 am
Stage 3 Report
Due to logistical reasons stage 3 didn't take place, today.
The race will continue tomorrow.
Posted by: JM 2008 on Oct 13, 08 | 1:15 am
Stage 2 Report
Stage 2 was not without its casualties. 25km of mud, swamp & hills took its toll & by the end of stage two the total drop out total of runners has risen to 10.
The weather yesterday may have leaded runners into a false sense of security as it was unusually cool, but with the baking heat today & a lot of humidity, runners began to suffer from heat exhaustion & dehydration.
As the Brazilian runner Marcie Vielar reached Checkpoint 2 today he met a jaguar& reported that. He never ran faster in his life!
Runner are now eating attending to blister& cuts & relaxing at the campsite in Paraiso, apprensive about the 43km stage tomorrow.
Posted by: JM 2008 on Oct 12, 08 | 4:02 am
Stage 1 Report
Heavy rain these last two days meant that todays stage was very muddy & slippery underfoot. Few runners managed to complete the stage without at least one fall.
By C.P. 1 the first runner had withdrawn, closely followed by two more at CP 2. Their withdraws were attributed to nausea and dehydration.
Todays stage was a short and difficult introduction to the race. 18 km of steep ascents & descents, a water crossing at the start and rope crossing across a deep creek.
The stage winner, Paulo Robson Almeda Sousa from Brazil finished the stage in a fast 2 hours 40 minutes and first first female was Jaqueline Terto
Runners are now challenging at a campsite and relaxing before 25km tomorrow which promises lots of mud & water.
Hello there, Zinnia here... reporting on behalf of Action Man! I have had an ecstatic email from Brazil where pre-race activities have included visiting the Statue of Christ in Rio and swimming in the Amazon..... all good fun befor the potential horror of the next few days! I will keep this blog updated as I hear but there are photos - one of K's back so far - and recent news of the race on the Jungle Marathon Website. Thank you for your interest, Zin x
One day left to the flight and I have pretty much got everything I need. The very shiny pyjamas have arrived and I have managed to get hold of the mandatory needles without (I hope) convincing Boots and the Dr's I am a drug addict.
The final list of items are: bike gloves, silk sleeping bag liner, lanacane, cash for rio and books to read on the flight.
I picked up the kit from D3 this week and Annie had done an amazing job in getting it branded, this included my new aarn rucksack which is absurdly complicated but seems comfy. I am concerned I haven't had the chance to give it a full test but have jogged to the kitchen and back which will have to do.
I have a final deep tissue massage with Mark tommorrow on the hamstring which seems to have recovered pretty well so am feeling very positive just now.
I've pretty much stopped training now having picked up a hamstring tear over the last month. I had been trying to ignore it but have only succeeded in worsening it.
So instead I have continued to obsess endlessly about kit and details in an effort to find at least one part of this race I can control.
The girls (India and Liberty) and I have had a cool time smashing up pot noodles and various other dried foods into small bags and weighing out each days food. I now have a nutritious weeks menu made up of: pot noodles, cous cous, biltong, twiglets, cashews, pumpkin seeds, angel delight (7 different flavors !), hot chocolate, cheesy smash, cheese crackers, peanut m&m's, lemon electrolyte (filth), lentil stew thing - all in about 18,000 kcalories weighing about 4.8kg.
If you would like to sponsor me please visit - http://www.justgiving.com/kesterwilkinson.
On October the 7th I will be taking part in the 2008 Jungle Marathon which is a 130 mile race through the Amazon Jungle. It is a self sufficient race which means I will have to race with all of my food and bedding for the week. Being a bit greedy this means my rucksack is currently weighing in at about 13kg. In preparation I have run about 1000 miles round herefordshire, mostly very slowly and in a bad mood, had 140 cold baths, 60 saunas and bought an unfeasible amount of kit.
I am running the race for three reasons -
1) it will be good fun
2) zinnia agreed I could do this instead of selling the house
3) to raise money for Breast Cancer Haven. I know so many friends and family who have been affected by this odious disease that I am keen to raise funds to support this charity.
I have included some more details about the race below and my slow bad tempered progress can be tracked on www.junglemarathon.com or on my blog which Zinnia will keep updated during the race http://thestrawhouse.weebly.com/jungle-marathon-blog.html.
If you make a donation please leave your email address so I can send my thanks and some photos after the race.
Thank you for visting my page
regards
Kes
Jungle Marathon 2008
On October 7th this year, an international field of competitors will once again begin their journey at the picturesque resort of Alter-do-Chão, and sail up the Tapajos River, the most beautiful tributary of the Amazon River, to the tiny hamlet of Itapuama. Here they will spend two days at JM base camp, acclimatising and learning how to handle many of the obstacles they may encounter in the Amazon Jungle, in preparation for the start of the 2008 edition of Jungle Marathon..
Jungle Marathon is a 200 km footrace, run in stages. The race is sufficient meaning that competitors carry all their own food and equipment for the week and an efficient local and international team provide comprehensive logistic support.
Runners pass by check points every 5km- 7km where they are re-supplied with bottled water and they can be monitored by the medical team.
Nights are spent sleeping in hammocks in pre-determined campsites, generally on the crystalline-sand beaches along the Tapajos River with the backdrop of the deep jungle behind them. Stages vary in length from 16km to 85km.
The longest of the stages takes competitors two days to complete so they continue running through the night.
The race itself is held in the spectacular Floresta Nacional do Tapajos, a 600 thousand protected area in the Amazon Rainforest, which lies in the Brazilian state of Pará, in North West Brazil. Here the competitors will interact with the natives hospitably and an outstanding Rainforest biodiversity.
This year, up to 80 runners will take part in the race coming from various parts of Brazil and from countries as far reaching as Australia, South Africa, USA, Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, England, Scotland, Canada, China and Denmark.
Several are runners who failed to make it to the finish on the previous year, but for many, it is the beginning of an incredible experience, combining the challenge of sport with the thrill of an eco adventure.
Jungle Marathon 2008 takes place from October 7th-16th.
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