Jungle Marathon 2007 will take place in Brazil in October 2007

Widy Greco from Guadeloupe wins the 2007 jungle marathon

At 5am this morning, the remaining competitors in the 2007 jungle marathon set off on the final stage of the race.
For those who had finished the long stage in a reasonable time,they had spent yesterday afternoon relaxing on the sandy beach on the shores of the Tapajos before this final stage. For the back of the pack compeitors, one of whom crossed the finish line yesterday at 10pm, time was short to refuel and rest before todays start.

The 24km final stage is entitled Jungle marathon goes Carribbean, as the entire stage is run on the beach.

Sore feet meant that many runners took off their shoes and ran in the water!

Eltos Bastos crossed the finish line in Alto do Chao this morning at 0744- completing the stage in an impressive 2 hours and 44 minutes. Second place in this stage went to Widy Greco from Guadeloupe.

Eltons impressive time narrowed the gap betweeen himself and Widy, but Widys overall time for the week was some 48 minutes faster than Elton, making him this years champion.

Spectators gathered to watch the runners arrive, giving a party atmosphere to the finish of this years race.

Runners will enjoy their first proper meal in many days at lunch time, and tonight will celebrate their success at the dinner and prize giving in Alter do Chao.

Stage 5 continued

The heavy rain made the stage very slippery underfoot for the first 42 km in the jungle. Runners struggled up and down steep slopes and battled the elements to keep going and to exit the jungle before the 4pm cut off and dark zone at camp site 4.
By 4pm, all but one of those still left in the race ( the stage saw three further runners withdraw), had made it past checkpoint 4 and were on their way out of the jungle at Picatuba and ready to embark on the second section of the course. Judah Epstein remained in the jungle and spent the night at the compulsory jungle camp for those who missed the cut off time.

With the exception of about 14 runners who raced on, the majority of the competitors chose to rest and refuel at checkpoint 5 in Picatuba before continuing their stage. By the time they set off, the finishers had already crossed the line at Aramanahi.
The stage was won by Elton Bastos , a local runner from Santarem in Brazil, who now holds the record for this stage. He completed the 87 km in an incredible 13 hours and 17 minutes.
Widy Greco from Guadeloupe took second place some 30 minutes later.
Equally impressive is the performance of several competitors who were competing in their first ultra..Stefania Licari from Italy. Bert Guzman from New York, Helder Francisco from Portugal and Judah Epstein from Dallas all are taking part in their very long race and crossed the finish line looking strong and happy,. to applause from the rest of the runners already in camp.

Stage 5

Storms raged and torrential rain fell all night meaning runners and support crew had a restless and wet night. It also meant that todays stage will be muddy and slippery underfoot.

Just after 5.30 am they set off with another water start, then straight into the deep jungle for 42 km of tough terrain.
Competitors who fail to leave checkpoint 4 by 4pm will have to stay there overnight- this particular area of jungle is densely populated by jaguar. At 5 am they may then proceed onto the final 10km to the village of Picatuba where the second part of the stage begins.
We expect the leaders back by 8pm and the back of the pack p to 24 hours later.

Stage 4

Today was more gentle stage for the runners with the intention of giving them a chance to recharge their batteries before the 5th stage. The 18km today took them onto community paths and plantation trails where they had the chance to see some village life and to do a fair amount of running on much flatter terrain
Of course we could not make it too easy so the stage did begin with a 250 metre water start ensuring the stage began with soaking feet!

The finish was in Tauri a delightful little village on the shores of the river, and to the delight of the competitors they had the chance to eat some birthday cake which villagers had helped to bake for runner Phil Mc Mullan from Northern Ireland.
Widy Greco from Guadaloupe won the stage closely followed by Brazilians Edenil Alburquerque Nogueria and Elton Bastos, but with two stages left to run in this close race, anything can happen.

Stage 3

Stage three set off at 7:00 am into deep jungle. All runners stayed in groups following last nights jaguar enconter towards the end of the stage.
Checkpoint two brought the athlets out onto a track though a local village and then back into the jungle.
A surprise awoke them today. A Zip wire has been set up over a wide creek giving them the chance to keep their feet dry!

Satellite connection broke down

Our satellite internet connection is currently not working.
We will update the website as good as possible from Santarem.
E-Mails to athlets will be distributed tomorrow.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Stage 2 - Update

No race like this is without its casualties. By daylight two runners had already withdrawn.Gordon Ross from Scotland and Issac da Silva Lima from Santarem, Brazil decided not to continue.
Everyone else set off back in the jungle for another day of killer hills, swamp crossings and difficult terrain.

By noon two runners had already finished the stage. Widdy Greco from Guadeloupe and Josiel Nasciemento dos Santos from Brazil.

More athletes could not cope with the terrain . Youssef Kater from Denmark, Garrett Macarthy from Ireland, Rodrigo Jean Castro dos Santos and Zeguiel Castro des Santos from Brazil.

Race report - Stage 1

Stage one was a short sharp shock!

Runners lined up on the beach for a 6.30 am start and following a dash along the shore they were straight in to the river for their first water crossing and then entered the jungle for the first time.

The jungle environment was an unknown one for many, and the majority of the field heeded the advice of the race organizers and medical team and paced themselves on this first stage. Sadly Terry Greenely withdrew at checkpoint one, as his slow time meant he would not reach the finish by the cut off.

The stage was a series of killer climbs and descents, debilitating under any conditions but hideous with such intense humidity. Strong runners were really finding the conditions tough, so it is no surprise that the top two places went to a local runner and one from Guadeloupe, both of whom were very used to the environment.

All the competitors were in high spirits as they put up their hammocks and settled down for the night in the first campsite at Dona Irene. Special mention needs to be made of the two competitors at the back of the field- Stefania Licari from Italy and Judah Epstein from U S A. They are both taking part in their first ultra and have amazed runners and support crew with their incredible determination to succeed.

Jungle Marathon 2007 - Ready to Go

After a leisurely sail down the Tapajos river yesterday to our base camp at Ituapuama, runners had the opportunity to spent their first night in a hammock.

The morning was filled with briefings from the medical director and podiatrist who covered the subect of hydration, foot care and probabaly the one matter that was in the minds of most runners-snake bites.

After lunch there was a presentation on the dangers of the jungle including poisonous plants and wildlife.

Cabo Bizzera, who runs our communications during the race gave a brief talk on our radio coverage , and also caused a slight concern whe he told runners he had encountered an anaconda earlier today on tomorrows trail.

Mark hines, who is a member of our support crew, had the opportunity to check the trail in preparation of stage one and has the following repört

Stage One 16km

This is a true baptism of fire into Dante`s Green Inferno. The change in humidity from the shoreline to the jungle is breathtaking, literally. The air becomes warm and thick, and the humidity soars above 80%. Within a few hundred yards of the start line, and a creek that will drench the competitors up to their chests, they will head into the jungle and not emerge until the finish line several hours hence.

After the sandy beach the competitors will be in a world of green for what could be the toughest 16km of their lives. The first 12km are characterised by fearsome hills, swamps, brooks and rivers. The course is along a jungle trail where competitors will move through cobwebs, hanging vines, and spine-covered trees and branches. Even in the midday heat, the light that penetrates the canopy can change from brilliant sunlight to a shadowy green darkness. The tops of the hills will be obscured by the vegetation and the competitors will feel drained and depleted from early-on and through to the end of the hilly terrain. There is to be no respite as upon reaching the tops; some steep and slippery descents will await. This terrain may be toughest that our competitors must face during the entire event, but ultimate focus will be required to ensure that each manages the succession of fatiguing climbs as the end seems never in sight.

Despite all of this, the toughest challenge facing our competitors will be maintaining their core temperature and remaining adequately hydrated. There is no point attempting a stage like this unless you are experienced in listening to your body and responding to its`needs for fluids and salts. A walking pace will have this stage completed in 7 to 10 hours, whilst our runners would be exceptional to finish within four. Electrolytes and about 250 ml of water every 15 mins will be required to prevent the performance-associated decline in performance. Anyone failing to respond to their body´s requirements may well be at risk of an early exit at this incredibly brutal start to the 2007 Jungle Marathon. Those that do make it through to the end to face another day, will have already achieved something incredible and stand in good sted for Stage 2.MH.