Stage 3, 38km long, consisted of a combination of Stages 1 & 2 i.e. steep climbs and swamps.
In fact our Stage guide showed 21 climbs and descents, 3 swamps and 3 water crossings. I was really looking forward to this!And just to make matters even more interesting we were also heading off later than expected due to some additional 'ass covering' by the organisers. The start was delayed as the organisers waited until some medical staff arrived at camp to update everyone on the condition of the 2 critically ill racers who collapsed after Stage 1. News was not very encouraging and the organisers then proceeded to read out an additional Disclaimer which we all had to sign. A severe case of 'ass covering' but to be honest not worth the paper it was written on. This was closely followed by another reminder on 'salt intake'. This whole episode was causing much confusion but finally there was now some simple advice on how much to take and how to test if you were not taking enough salt. (Just so you know you take a pich of salt and stick in on your tongue. If it tastes 'nice' you need more salt but if it tastes real bad then you had enough.)
And for the record I was taking Succeed S-Caps, which are just short of being pure salt with a combination of Sodium and Potassium. Plus I was also taking Nuun which are an Electrolyte and also contain small traces of Sodium.
Anyway, onto Stage 3 where by our reckoning we had to be back by 1pm in order to make the time cut-off. Getting to the finish after the cut-off time could lead to disqualification or depending on how late you were back could lead to a time penalty for the next stage.
So, on we surged through the jungle and as this was our 3rd day of jungle acclimitisation I was feeling pretty strong, after the scares of cramps on day 1, and was happy to march along at a good pace. By Stage 3 we now had our regular 3rd team member in Dermot who armed with 2 walking poles was cutting a decent pace under the canopy.
At one stage I took point and kept up a good pace for a a few clicks. And at one point as we made our way through the forest that I heard a shot from Dermot to stop. As I turned round he said that Mark had whacked his head on a low hanging branch and as he turned the corner his face had streams of blood flowing down. Mark looked a little shocked, as I must have done and we then had to do our first emergency procedure.
Here we are 1,000's of miles from home and someones head is pouring with blood. We stopped on the track and after making a quick diagnosis I soon realised it was justy a nasty graze and that the initial burst of blood was slowing down. So a quick look in my rucksack for the 'compulsory' Gauze initially proved fruitless and then I thought it would not have been enough anyway. In the meantime several other racers came past, offering support, but we had it under control. A final brainwave of mine was to get one of my, thankfully very new and clean white socks, onto the cut and then fix the whole thing in place with my spare baseball cap. It was a perfect fit and on we marched again. After another 500m I got Mark to stop and we double checked that the bleeding had stopped, which thankfully it had. But we decided it best that we continue for a more permanent solution once we reached the next check point. It was still pretty amusing to see Mark with a bloody sock sticking out from his cap as we made our way to the next checkpoint.
And it was while we made our way further along this stage that I somehow managed to up the pace without realising it and after about 1km I heard a cry from Dermot along the lines of 'Are you trying get to the finish first today" as he mooched past me and dropped the pace to a more reasonable level. I must admit I was on fire that day and was glad I was part of a team as that sudden rush of blood and pace could have taken its toll later in the day. That's the great benefit of being with other people in that they can sense the pace is too much where you may not and as such get things back on track.
The stage was dotted with dirty smelly swamps which we managed to negotiate successfully, although very slowly. I think it was that day when at one point I was at the back of our group when I placed my right onto what I believed to a firm point under water. Alas, my leg dropped deep into the swamp mud and in 1 second I was up to my waist. Now standing lob-sided I cried out to the other guys and Mark later recalled that my face was a real picture of 'panic' as I struggled to get my foot out. What I was most scared about was pulling my leg out but without my trainer. This could have spelled disaster as a lost shoe could have meant the end of my Jungle Marathon.
Anyway, after some patient manoeuvering I finally released my leg and eventually made it across the swamp. Of course the other worry you have in swamps is being attacked by bees or hornets, and as your movement is so slow you would not be able to escape their wrath very easily.
As the day progressed Dermot was starting to struggle with the pace. This was mainly due to the pain he was suffering with nasty blisters on his feet. Even though I had given him some strong pain killers along the way and he also had more at the checkpoints it was proving a tough task. Knowing that we had to be back by 7pm and knowing we had several severe climbs at the end of the stage, Mark and myself decided to push ahead to ensure that we at least got to the finish in time.
So we left Dermot, although feeling somewhat guilty for doing so, but when you pay out a large amount of money and train like we did, the last thing we wanted to do was get kicked out of the JM because of late arrival at a stage finish. You have to be selfish in these situations and thankfully Dermot understood our decision as we steamed on ahead.
After the last few punishing climbs, which were very steep and where we heard what we were told was a Jaguar growling, we managed to make it to the finish around 5.45pm (almost 10 hours after we started that morning). And about 45 minutes later Dermot also made it, with 30 minutes to spare. All that was left to do was get the hammocks up and grab some food before settling down for the night. Glad the day was over and totally whacked I think I had my best nights sleep i.e. 3 hours.
I AM RAISING MONEY FOR CANCER RESEARCH UK: http://www.justgiving.com/Jungle-Marathon-2009
---------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment