Day one kicked off with a 400m beach stretch before crossing a river and disappearing under the canopy for the next 5 days. Although only 18km on day one the route was littered with steep hills requiring scrambling on all fours and deep swamp crossings which, when carry 18kg of kit, inevitably swallow men whole. The main effect we noticed was the inability to recover from the exhaustion. The body was unable to cool itself through sweating due to the humidity whilst high levels of physical exertion, although deemed normal in the UK, would have left you on an IV drip in the jungle. This effect remained throughout the race and was the main reason over 40% of runners failed to finish, with over 136 IV drips being administered at the cost of a 2hr time penalty.
At the end of each stage which varied from 18km to 89km, runners would be able to harbour up in their hammocks, get hold of boiling water for food and more importantly get the much needed medical attention. As the race progressed so did the levels of treatment. Culminating in one runner having anaesthetic injected directly into the soles of his feet to numb the pain and allow him to finish the race. A more common treatment was the injection of friar’s balsam (a decongestant meant to be boiled and inhaled) directly into the blisters to seal the loose skin and flesh together like a natural compeed. This treatment had become more of a challenge for those who thought they were tough enough. I am sure suffering the blister would have seemed pleasant in comparison to the pain of a friar’s injection. Overall the race took 55 victims, primarily through heat injury and closely followed by foot failure with a few cases of infected blisters resulting in septicaemia.
The final stage was preceded by 89km which took competitors between 15 and 37 hours to complete. Relentless in the terrain and unforgiving to those suffering from shredded feet the 89km dragged on and was unforgiving to the masses. The majority of IV drips were administered and a number of casevacs took place for runners who had either broken ankles or just could not cope with the duration. Not forgetting that by this point runners had already completed three marathons and were trying to do two back to back. The survivors, which were 65 out of an initial 120, were allowed to complete the final day- oh joy. A final beach marathon in the oppressive morning heat was the last test for those left standing and all 65 managed to reach the finish line in various states of disrepair with the 1ITB team finishing in 4th, securing the fastest British finisher award.
After the race we jovially talked with the bravado assumed of us from the beginning. That was within 2 hours. Within 6 hours we were a little quieter and 8 hours later we were silent. We remained silent for about 3 days. The race was taking its toll, just a little later than we expected.
We wanted to compete in the Jungle Marathon in memory of Lt Mark Evison and Lt Dougie Dalzell, two friends of ours who tragically lost their lives whilst serving in Afghanistan. Although we had great fun competing in the race the two guys, physically fit and hugely competent, remained in the forefront of our minds during the hardest parts of the race. Memories of their jovial spirits mixed with the aggressive encouragement they would have favoured spurred us on to do far better than we had expected and we must still admit, far worse than the pair of them would have done.
In true Mark and DD style the race was finished off on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.