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Jungle Marathon |
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Velcom to ze Jungle
After finishing the Sand Marathon, one would think that I had completed the world’s toughest footrace. One would be wrong. Enter Robert Polhammer. Robert is considered the best adventure race director in the world, and last year he created an even tougher race, truly “ze hardest race in ze vorld.” Robert is German and he takes his work very seriously. Need I say more?
So here I am in the jungle, tempting fate one more time. Robert smiles as he welcomes the group: “Velcom to ze jungle. Ve have a vonderful race for you.” It was a cruel and somewhat cryptic smile, one that tells us that he knows something we don’t. That’s the moment I realize that we’re in for a very tough week.
To get a feeling for the atmospherics, consider the elements that make up this event. The competitors are all hard-core and highly driven to push themselves to (or beyond) the edge. The common elements are a love of pain, a hunger for adventure, and a belief that each is unbreakable. In another time and place, these people would all be mercenaries in the French Foreign Legion.
Banjo Banon is one tough Irish cookie. He climbed Mt. Everest a few years ago, but that still hasn’t calmed him down. Banjo doesn’t like fancy gadgets or foods. He prefered to use the high-tech Hammer Energy Gel we gave him as a blister pad.
Luke Cunliffe, a proper British explorer, has trekked 550 km unsupported across the Yukon wilderness, dragging a 100 kilo sled behind him.
Jay Batchen has run dozens of ultra-marathons and was a top finisher in the Sand Marathon.
Karim Mosta is from France and was last year’s winner. He’s tough as nails.
Kevin Lin is from Taiwan and is a state-sponsored athlete sent around the world to races like this. He placed second in a race in the Gobi desert last year and runs a street marathon just a dozen or so minutes away from the world record. His business card lists him as a professional Ultra Marathon Runner. I didn’t even know that the profession existed. Have I missed my calling in life?
Charlie Engle has raced in around 25 survival events in every corner of the globe. He won the Jungle Marathon this year.
Ray Zahab is a professional adventure racer from Canada. When he’s not racing, he’s on the lecture circuit talking about his races.
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Banjo Banjo using Energy Gel |
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Luke Jay |
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Karim Kevin |
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Ray Charlie |
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Ana Simon |
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Robert My number: Lucky 22 |
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Copyright Dari Shalon 2004 |
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Ana MacPherson, a relative novice from the UK, put in a very strong performance this year. Simon Bowden, a Sean Connery look-alike, has run 50km up South Africa’s tallest mountain several times and is rumored to eat broken glass for breakfast.
Andrea Estevam is an adventure racer from Brazil and won the women’s category of the Jungle Marathon last year. Brazil entered some their best long distance runners and triathlon champions into this event. They were out to show us Gringos who’s the boss in the jungle.
There was even a blind runner from Korea who was led by one of Korea’s top athletes. They managed to finish the first day together, which was an incredible accomplishment given that around 15 normal runners didn’t finish. The blind runner had plenty of the stamina, but kept falling due to the difficult terrain. It was truly inspirational to see them finish the hardest stage of the race.
Take the energy, ego and testosterone levels above (yes, even Ana and Andrea seem to have testosterone) and combine them with a somewhat sadistic race director who has vowed to break these athletes, and add as a backdrop to this macabre drama the extreme terrain, vegetation, heat and humidity of the Amazon Jungle, and there you have it: a true “Pain Fest”. Everybody gets what they’re looking for.
A moment of grace before the storm. Sunrise on the day before the race begins. This is the boat that transported us 150km up the Tapajos river from the village of Alter do Chao to some of the most remote jungle areas in all of South America. |