Official Jungle Marathon website link here.

 

Newsletter from Race Organisors:

Welcome to our first Newsletter for the 2009 race.

You have 9 months to go until you are at the start line in Brazil. You should already be thinking about your gear and training, These cold wet months are not terribly conducive to getting outside and training, but start slowly and build up gradually. Get used to wearing your pack again and starting planning your kit.

*Forums*
The anticipation and preparation is a huge part of the whole race experience so do please use the forums to read what has worked for past runners , and to exchange ideas with other competitors and post up your questions. Sign up for the forums on: www.eventrate.com/private

*Gear advice*
We are delighted that Derek Kwik, a veteran of every ultra you can think of ( including Jungle Marathon) and also an ex-eco challenger, has again agreed to offer advice on gear. There is little in the gear arena that Derek has not tried and tested, so please contact him for advice and suggestions.
Derek will also be taking part in the 2009 race. Contact him on Derek@junglemarathon.com

* Race Clothing*
This is a subject of much debate!
All the local jungle guides who help us with trail preparation, and also our military and fire service support teams cover their arms, legs and heads when they are in the jungle. There are a huge amount of plants that can cut and tear. Insects can get to exposed skin much more easily and you are much more likely to get ticks as you cross the swamps. In addition, you have less protection against snakes bites if there are no layers between you and your skin.
However , about 50% of the runners each year wear shorts and vests.
This is really matter of choice, but if you do decide to expose your skin make sure you are extra vigilant with any cuts you get as this can become infected very quickly in the jungle environment.
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*Snake guards*
When I did the trial run of the course this year I tested a pair of snake guards to see how comfortable they were. I thoroughly recommend these. The pair I bought were from www.snakeguardz.com . They are a rigid gaiter that protect the leg from just below the knee to the top of the foot. A snake is not predatory , but it will defend itself if you step on it, so the most vulnerable part of the body is the lower leg. These guards offer great protection against this. I found they were lightweight, didn't chafe or rub and I hardly knew I was wearing them.
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*Night-time temperatures*
The temperature can drop quite dramatically in the early hours of the morning, so we do recommend you have some type of covering to keep warm in your hammock. A sleeping bag liner, a lightweight sleeping bag, even a foil blanket if you don't wish to carry much extra weight. Also worth considering is a pair of warm socks, a hat and gloves.

*Emergency procedures*
It is only when we have an emergency evacuation, as was the case in 2008, that more of an awareness is created amongst runners of our procedures.
Several were frightened as they felt perhaps we did not have the necessary support in place, as we had not highlighted this, so to that end I would like to assure each and every one of you that safety is the single most important aspect in the race.* * I cannot emphasise enough that the jungle is a potentially dangerous environment and that we do everything we can to minimise risk, but we need all competitors to in turn do everything they can to behave sensibly in this potentially hostile environment.
We have recently updated the safety section of our site to give more comprehensive information on our local support team of 106 personnel.
Please go to www.junglemarathon.com/index.php?id=C0_9_1 for further info.

*Flights to Brazil*
Brazil is a spectacular country and for those of you who have not visited before, taking part in Jungle Marathon is a way to combine a race with a holiday in another part of the country. It also may be more cost effective to book a return ticket to Brazil and combine it with an air pass and benefit from the flexibility of being able to visit several destinations.
We do make a group booking for jungle marathon personnel and any competitors who wish to go directly to Santarem and back and we will have details of this early in the New Year. These seats will be allocated first come first serve basis. Details will be e mailed to you as soon as we have them.

*Jungle bootcamp*
A former competitor of Jungle Marathon will be setting up an intensive jungle bootcamp in the Spring. This will take place in the UK and will cover aspects such as training, hydration, foot-care, gear and food . We will send you details as soon as we have them.

*Acclimatisation camp*
For those of you that have the time to come to Brazil in advance of the race, we will offer an acclimatisation training camp in the jungle environment . Please contact me directly on shirley@eventrate.com for further details.

*Logo*
Please find attached a hi-res version of our logo if you wish to use it for fund-raising purposes.

*Facebook*
If you are on Facebook, do join our Official Jungle Marathon 2009 group.

In our next newsletter we will discuss hydration and foot-care , two very important aspects of your race. In the interim, please get in touch with any questions you may have.