The Jungle Marathon is organised by Irishwoman Shirley Thompson and this year's event has several Irish competitors.
Shirley has confirmed to UltraRunning Ireland that the Irish entrants comprise Paddy Craig, Paul Haughney, Jack Lyons, Garret McCarthy, Sean McMurtry and Diarmuid Smyth.
We wish them the best of luck in this extremely gruelling event which takes place from 11th - 17th October 2009.
There is a choice of two distances in the Jungle Marathon: 200km or 100km. The longer distance encompasses six stages while the shorter distance includes four.
This race takes place in the Brazilian Amazon and competitors face the challenges of river crossings, swamps, steep ascents, technical descents, stifling heat & humidity, and the prospect of encountering domestic wildlife such as snakes, jaguars and wild pigs. There are ever-present and irritating ants to endure and the possibility of being up close and personal with tarantulas, scorpions and even piranha.
As mentioned previously on this website, the mere operation of the Jungle Marathon is a minor miracle given the logistics required in the jungle environment. See www.junglemarathon.com.
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