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Into the Amazon

By Fredrik ölmqvist / 17.09.2003

The last time Fredrik ölmqvist was reporting for SleepMonsters.com he was in the frozen wastes of Canada in January at Raid Ukatak. Now he’s gone to the other extreme – he’s in the Brazilian rain forest about to run the Jungle Marathon.

It’s a 250km, week long, staged footrace, so not exactly an adventure race, but adventurous enough! Each stage gets progressively longer and the climate, terrain and wildlife are going to test competitors to their limits. Frederick says he’s not keen on spiders and insects!

At the end of each stage he’s going to try and provide a report to let us know how he’s getting on. Here’s his first, slightly nervous, dispatch.

Getting Prepared - Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

The 250km Jungle Marathon is getting very close and we arrived in the jungle city of Manaus, at the brink of the Amazon River, earlier this afternoon.

With only a day to go before race start the 40 competitors are exchanging ideas on which equipment will work best during these conditions. 40C and 100% humidity, narrow jungle trails, with an abundance of branches and insects that will cut and bite you if you get too close. Shorts or long pants? Gaiters or not? And \"close\" is what this race seems to be all about.

For instance will we be running close to each other - it\'s not funny to be all alone in the jungle. Especially not when the daylight rapidly disappears. “Do you know what you\'re getting into?� the Brazilian man next to me in the plane asked. I smiled and said: “ Probably not! But in which case it will be a most interesting experience.� He nodded, obviously not very convinced with my reply.

Few of the participants have any experience of the jungle, so there is a lot of talk going on about close encounters with jaguars, deadly snakes, spiders etc. The day before race start we will be briefed by a military jungle expert on which animals are the most dangerous and how to deal with them.

The heat is another \"obstacle\". With a ration of 10 litres of water a day to make up the constant transpiration we all have to learn how to keep the water in our bodies - a knowledge absolutely crucial to have any chances of completing this race.

According to the rules we will have to carry our own equipment: food for a week, extra clothes, medical and emergency kit (including anti-venom pump), compass, knife, insect repellent, etc. Obviously there are many concerns just before the race.

One is ... which is the best bar in town? I’ve been told that the Malaria mosquitoes dislike the smell of Vitamin B. So now it\'s time for a beer!

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