We had a few targets to hit that day and the first and most important one was to get across another 'dreaded' water crossing.
Not many pictures today as my batteries and camera were badly affected by the high humiidty and I was trying to make sure I had a working camera at the finish line on Saturday.
Thankfully it was a little shorter than the previous days one butI was still not looking forward to it. So off we went and straight in. This time I was a little more relaxed but it still took a lot out of me by the time we reached the far side.
And once out of the water on we marched, only this time without Dermot who had decided to do some jogging as at the other side of the water was a nice big open track which encouraged a lot of people to run and make up time. However, as Mark and myself walked along we suddenly saw a whole pack of racers running back down the track towards us, telling us to turn back . We had all missed a turning off the track into the Jungle, about 200 yards from the water crossing.
So back down the track we go and we finally found the tape which we should have been watching out for ourselves but like a lot of others we were in 'sheep' mode too. Into the forest we go and then lots of the front runners who had also taken the wrong route eventually came jogging past. And after about 30 minutes Dermot also caught up with us. At this stage he was glad to see us as his earlier plan of running was not going too well so he stayed with us as we did our usual speed marching through the jungle.
Thankfully we made good time and pace through each of the checkpoints and we knew we'd make the infamous Check Point 4 by 3.30pm. If we didn't get to and clear that checkpoint by that time the organisers would not let us continue due to the fact we would still be in the jungle by nightfall, when Jaguars are a lot more active. And it would have meant a nightly stopover at that CP and then finishing that stage in the blazing heat of the next day.
But before we got to CP4 we had our first real bit of excitement. As we came down one of the jungle tracks there was a group of racers stopped. They called out that a swarm of nasty stinger bees/wasps or hornets were across the track ahead. Knowing that we could not make another route round them we quickly made the decision to run the gauntlet and just race right through them. So one by one, in 10 yard-15 yard intervals, we raced down the track, slapping and swiping at anything that came our way. So off I flew too with arms waving everywhere and with the adrenaline pumping I managed to clear massive fallen logs without stopping. I must have covered 110 metres with hurdles in 10 seconds flat. But I also managed to get several stings on my ass, plus I also sprained my
ankle trying to clear one log so I was not happy once I caught up with the other guys. A sore ass and a sore ankle I was really feeling sorry for myself. If the ankle got any worse I knew that I'd have to pull out of the race. However, I had myself mentally prepared for this and knew exactly what to do. I won't go into detail here, it's too personal, but it did the trick and when we got to the next checkpoint I took on some anti-anflamitory pain killers and went into my own world for a while. After about 1 hour, it was almost miraculous, the pain started to disappear and I was 'back on form' again. Although, next day my ankle had turned a few shades of blue it was clear I had some damage.As we made our way from checkpoint 3 to 4 we came across another racer we knew very well, young Vicki. She was not in a good way and she was clearly struggling. With a long stick supporting her she was also close to tears as she had managed to pull a muscle in her leg and she was really suffering and feeling sorry for herself. However, she was now in good hands as all 3 of us gave her a good pep talk, a few strong pain killers and invited her to stick with us and we'd do our best to get her to Checkpoint 4 in time, and then if she wanted to push on from there we'd get her to the finish line too. So she perked up a lot and by this stage we pushed on again, doing our best not to lose too much pace while also trying to ensure we weren't going too fast for the injured Vicki. I must say she really dug in and although still in pain she soldiered on relentlessly, a really gutsy young lady.
We got to Checkpoint 4 around 2.30pm and on arrival here was lots of people hanging around.
The medics were doing their usual work of on the spot repairs to peoples feet and giving out pain killers etc where needed. Although a few looked like they had had enough too. We stopped for about 15 minutes to get some food on board before loading up with 2.5 litres again and on we pushed to Checkpoint 5. CP5 was the checkpoint that was outside of the jungle and it was also exactly half way to the finish. So we planned to stop there for about 1 hour to get a big meal on board, take a well deserved rest and then do some final checks on our feet etc before we headed off for the last 27 miles.By the time we reached CP5 it was still light but only just. It was situated in a small village and we had a warm welcome from the locals and race volunteers. We were ushered into a small hut where we gladly plonked our weary asses and proceeded to load up with some badly needed food. At this point I managed to get down another breakfast and some energy gels as the next lot of stages was across some sandy tracks and beaches so we needed to load up with enough energy as possible. Plus by now it was starting to get dark so we also had to wear our head torch and also put Glow sticks on our backpacks so other competitors could see us in the dark too.
After about 1 hour we finally decided to push on. At this stage we had 5 people in our pack and as we headed off from CP5 I saw my first major piece of wild life. A massive Tarantula was making its way across the sandy track about 200 yards from the CP. We all had an excited look but quickly pushed on into the night, knowing that we still had so much to do.
I must admit I did find this part of the race a lot more interesting as the noise levels of all the bugs and stuff was at Volume 10. And of course you don't see very much either apart from the occassional pair of eyes which are reflecting in your headtorch. At first they spook you but when you get up close all you'd find was a massive Toad sitting by the side of the track. No jaguars around there! Plus we had to be on the lookout all the time for either little ribbons or glow sticks which had been placed along the tracks.
As we pushed on from checkpoint to checkpoint it was clear that tiredness was setting in with some people but we all agreed we need to push on. For me it wasn't such a problem as I hadn't slept that well until now and my body was used to only a few hours of sleep by this stage. For me all I needed was some water and my own thoughts to drive me along.
From CP7 to CP8 it had to be the most difficult section for most of us. Very tired by this point we now had to endure nearly 15km of sandy tracks and beach front along the river. I took point for most of this stage, constantly trying to pick out the faint glow sticks in the distance. I knew this was going to be difficult for everyone but I also knew that we needed to stay going so it was a mainly long silent march until we got to CP8.
However, there was a real sting in the tail before we got to CP8. About 4 kms from it the organisers had put in another water crossing. So in the early hours of Friday morning we headed down a track only to see a 100 metre water crossing. Well, after a few..well lots... of expletives we waded in and made our way across. Not the most enjoyable part of that stage but I think it did wake everyone up. Nothing like a dip in cold dirty water to do that!
We pushed to CP8 which was located in a small village at a bus stop and were greeted by 2 lovely lady volunteers from the UK. They could tell we were shattered and poor Vicky was really feeling it. Sore muscle in her leg, nasty chaffing causing even more pain, and her ring finger had swollen up, where she was stung earlier, to the point where she could not remove her ring. After 15 minutes we pushed on again knowing that we were not too far from the finish. We also knew that once we completed this day we 'would' then make it to the eventual Finish line so it was great to finally think you were so close to finishing the infamous Jungle Marathon.
From CP8 to the finish line it was a long hard slog. Now we were back on 'community trails and tracks'. These were sandy in places, sapping all our energy, to rocky roads which were digging in to a massive blister I had now got on the ball of my left foot. As we pushed on into the early hours we knew we just had to keep focussed on the fact that we were nearly there. And once we saw the sun rise it gave our bodies that extra bit of life to keep pushing on. By 6am on the Friday morning we had split up into 2 pairs. I was with Dermot who could only keep going a steady pace in order to take his mind off the pain of his many 'massive' blisters. And Mark was a few hundred yards behind doing a great job in helping Vicki through her pain and discomfort. So as we finally reached the beach where they placed the finish line we still had about 300 metres to cover. Dermot and myself then held back for the other 2 and as a team of 4 we crossed the finish line at just after 6.30am, which was exactly 24hours 01 minute and 28 seconds after starting the race on the previous day. What a day, what an achievement, what a race, what a bunch of nutters!
I AM RAISING MONEY FOR CANCER RESEARCH UK: http://www.justgiving.com/Jungle-Marathon-2009
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