Latest news with #JungleUltra

TimesLIVE
6 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
SA's Gordon-Bennett goes from ice race to winning Jungle Ultra in Amazon
South African adventure trail runner Tarryn Gordon-Bennett has gone from breaking the ice to conquering the Amazon, winning the second Beyond the UItimate series extreme race she has taken part in as the first women in this year's Jungle Ultra in Peru. Last year Gordon-Bennett was the first women and joint-sixth overall in the Ice Ultra in Swedish Lapland in the Arctic Circle, another gruelling test of human endeavour run over the same distance of 230km in the wilderness of Swedish Lapland in temperatures as low as -40°C. In early June, Gordon-Bennett swapped snow for the mud, heat and humidity of the world's greatest jungle in the Amazon as one of nine women to finish from 14 starters and the first home in a five-stage Jungle Ultra. There were 59 starters overall of whom 36 finished, with the Beyond the Ultimate website saying the 60% completion rate is 'a stark reminder of just how relentless this race is'. 'With 230km of punishing terrain, scorching humidity, and soul-testing climbs, this year's edition lived up to its reputation as one of the toughest ultras on the planet.' Gordon-Bennett, running again with her 'brother from another mother' race partner Andre Erasmus (joint-sixth), ended just under seven hours behind overall winner Nick Sunderland of Canada (27 hrs 15 min). She was again part of a group of South Africans that also included third-placed finisher Jared Coetzer (32:50), Nick Denoon-Stevens (15th) and Hannah Broad (16th and fourth women). Jungle and ice toughness were bred from a previous notoriously tough occupation. 'I was a professional ballet dancer so I'm used to pushing myself really hard. I also have a very high pain threshold,' Gordon-Bennett told TimesLIVE. The Jungle Ultra, its website says, is run through Peru's 'Manu National Park, deep in the Amazon rainforest, an unspoilt expanse of boiling jungle and breathtaking cloud forest running from the Andes mountains to the Madre de Dios River'. Like the ice race, athletes take what they need on their backs. 'They just give you water and check you're medically fit at each water point,' Gordon Bennet said. 'You carry everything you need to complete the five days — food for each day including race fuel and drinks, hammock and sleeping bag, medical kit, emergency life straw, water disinfectant tablets, additional camp clothes, running clothes, capacity to carry 2.5l of water. 'Camp facilities provided were poles to pitch hammocks from and pit toilets; if we were lucky we got a flushing toilet in some of the overnight spots. Camp spots were normally next to a river so you could wash off the mud and sweat after the day's fun. 'I underestimated what you need after a stage, especially when coming in early. If you are in the camp at 2pm, you are starving and can only eat at 6pm when you have dinner. 'The beginning of the race was at altitude, very cold. Day three onwards was super humid and hot. 'Setting up the hammock correctly the first time was critical, otherwise you had nine other people tying their hammock over your cables and you couldn't adjust it later. If it started raining, you just got wet. 'There were people around you in the camp throwing up, moving in the hammock. We felt every movement by other people because it was a single pole we all tied ourselves to. 'We contended with a lot of terrains, from steep downhill mountain passes to riverbeds, muddy pathways up and down mountains. You had to focus on every single step to avoid tripping or spraining an ankle. 'There were insects — millions of ants, sandflies, mosquitos — all day, every day. We were all covered in bites. 'On day three of the jungle run more than 50% of the runners didn't finish and couldn't continue.' The South Africans prepared for the Ice Ultra using snow shoes on beach sand. To replicate the humidity, denseness and terrain of the Amazon they trained in lush Magoebaskloof in Limpopo and ran The Hobbit 100, a scenic two-day mountainous trail run from Qonce to Hogsback in the Eastern Cape's Amatola Mountains. 'That had lots of technical climbs, lots of mud and slippery conditions because of heavy rains. The two-day event was cancelled and we decided to convert to the 90km non-stop, carrying backpacks, though only half the weight compared to our Amazon packs. Most of the crew got lost at night, which provided excellent physical and mental training for the Jungle. 'We had weekends away, having fun and running some amazing trails in the Drakensberg [in KwaZulu-Natal] and the Western Cape. We are privileged and spoilt for choice when it comes to trails and trail running in South Africa. Image: Supplied 'Getting the right gear meant testing things all the time to see what worked. We needed to mix things up a lot to understand how the gear would perform in tough conditions. The right food, shoes, backpacks — it takes a lot of time.' It's a fact that not everyone can do a Beyond the Ultimate event. Apart from the physical requirements, it's not cheap. Another indication of the South Africans' commitment shown in racing these events is it cost about R150,000 to compete in the Jungle Ultra for flights, accommodation, equipment and the entry fee alone is £3,500 (R83,000). Clearly they feel it's worth it. 'The Jungle ultra was more than just a race. It is more than six months' preparation, running with the same people four or five times a week; travelling, racing, eating, falling — you build a special connection,' Gordon-Bennett said. 'While the race was only five days long, the build-up and the bonds made with the people you run with last a lifetime.'


BBC News
11-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Vertical climbs in the Amazon for Wolverhampton ultra-marathon runner
"It was remote living and I don't think you can prepare for it."James March, 24, has been reflecting after finishing his latest challenge, a gruelling ultra-marathon in the Amazon rainforest. With fellow participant Greg Garner from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Wolverhampton resident Mr March took part in the 230km (140-mile) Jungle Ultra over five days in runner has been inspired to take on extreme events in honour of his mother, Wendy, who has multiple sclerosis and has lost a lot of her mobility. The athletes form a community and host events his mother can attend. He said he was on his feet for sometimes eight or nine hours a day and then bathing in a river."Then [you] do your admin under a red torch in your hammock without trying to wake everyone up." The toughest part was day three, the shortest day, only 24km (14.9 miles)."That might have been what looked like the easiest," he said."But it was a brand new day, they'd just been given a fresh part of the jungle which the race organisers [Beyond the Ultimate] were now protecting and so they'd made [a] fresh trail for us, which sounds amazing, but what it actually means is it's very narrow track."You're in the thick of the jungle and for the whole 24km it was vertical climbs and vertical descents, climbing up waterfalls, going down rivers. [It was] really muddy, really thick."And it was extremely humid that day. It was over 30 degrees."The pair prepared for their race by using an environmental chamber at the University of Wolverhampton to acclimatise to the intense heat and humidity of the rainforest."The combination of heat, humidity and altitude provides a unique challenge, and it's clear why people consider it one of the toughest physical challenges on the planet," Mr March previously said. His mother, who has lost her mobility and a lot of her ability to communicate, was his motivation."What we've tried to do is find the toughest physical challenges or endurance events that we could possibly find and enter them as a testament to her, but also other people suffering with mobility great thing with such an initiative was "the community that it brings together" - friends and family supporting him, the runner said. "Hosting events that mum can go to.... she can catch up with old friends and that in itself gives a lot more than just the events." Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.


BBC News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Braunton running pair to take on Amazon jungle ultra event
For many, a run is a jog through the park, a 5km or even possibly a marathon - but for two Devon runners, their next challenge is a little Dale and Alison Little, from Braunton, are about to embark on the Jungle Ultra , a 230km (140-mile) endurance race through the Amazon rainforest in will take them five days and will see them battle mud, humidity, high altitude and the possibility of animal encounters along the way. It will take place in early pair are no strangers to epic adventures, having completed the Ice Ultra in the Arctic in recent months. They both combine their exploits with full-time working. Ms Dale is a nurse and Ms Little works in the care industry. They met when Ms Little moved to the Braunton area and was looking for a running group to join. They hit it off immediately and their running challenges have grown over Ms Little insists the Amazon trek is going to be their toughest yet."It's going to be a massive adventure. We will succeed, whether we finish first or last," she said. Participants in the ultra event will have to navigate jungle and rainforest amid heat, humidity and mud, with running at night a Dale added the camaraderie between them meant they would make sure they crossed the line safely."If someone is having a bad day, we support that person," she explained."It reassures our husbands and families that as there's two of us, we'll look after each other."


BBC News
19-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Wolverhampton: Amazon ultra-marathon runners train in heat chamber
Two runners are preparing to take part in a 230km (140-mile) ultra-marathon in the Amazon March from Wolverhampton and Greg Garner from Newcastle-under-Lyme will set off next month to compete in Beyond the Ultimate Jungle Ultra in Peru over five prepare for the conditions, the pair have been using an environmental chamber at the University of Wolverhampton to acclimatise to the intense heat and humidity of the rainforest."The combination of heat, humidity and altitude provides a unique challenge, and it's clear why people consider it one of the toughest physical challenges on the planet," Mr March said. Participants will have to navigate jungle and rainforest amid heat, humidity and mud within the UNESCO World Heritage site of Manu National Park. Competitors could also be running at night while carrying their essential the equipment at the university's Walsall campus has been an integral part of their training, 23-year-old Mr March, who is raising money for Walkoncemore, a charity that supports people living with MS, said. The facility can replicate virtually any climate, the university said, and has been mimicking the necessary temperature, humidity, and altitude, enabling the men to optimise their training for the specific challenges."The environmental chamber goes up to 40 degrees and 90% humidity, which helps us prepare and understand how our bodies react to these temperatures," Mr March said."It's so important to get your body used to performing in these conditions, and we have access to expertise from Dr Cloak and his colleagues to help us with any questions or support we need."The chamber is perfect to be able to prepare for such races – it really puts it in perspective, not just how hot it's going to be but how we need to look after ourselves once we get out there."Students studying sport and exercise science at the university have been involved in the training by measuring the pair's weight and heart rates while tracking performance and health and Cloak, associate professor in sport and exercise science, said: "It's been a fantastic couple of weeks supporting James and Greg as they prepare for this epic challenge."They are raising money for a fantastic cause, and we, in the School of Sport, were more than happy to get involved." Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.