Ryan Sandes - This will soon be the new home of the domain ...

Image: Nick Muzik - www.nickmuzik.com
jungle to assist with the quickest route out of the jungle should
someone be evacuated. The military firemen sweep each stage
of the race one day in advance to double check for potential
dangers. Although great navigational skills are not a prerequisite
to compete in this race, common sense is. The route winds
along pre-existing paths, on trails and tracks through primary
jungle and around and through natural obstacles such as streams
and rivers.
KISS YOUR COMFORTS GOODBYE
The Jungle is an unforgiving place where the weather can change
from sizzling heat to pouring rain within minutes. Competitors
have to carry all their own equipment and food and are only
provided with water. “The humidity in the Jungle is about 97%
and the temperatures range between 30°C and 40°C. You also
have to be extremely careful of the terrain, as it is easy to hurt
yourself by stepping into a hole covered by vegetation or leaves,”
says Ryan.
On arrival in Santarém, a city in the state of Pará, competitors
are transferred by boat to the village of Alter do Chão. They then
depart for an overnight trip on a boat to the Jungle base camp
at Itapuama. “The journey on the boat is about eight hours and
I hear it is quite crammed because everyone has to pitch their
hammocks and sleep on the boat,” says Ryan.
// The Jungle is an unforgiving place where the
weather can change from sizzling heat to pouring rain
within minutes. //
Image: Ian Taylor/RacingThePlanet Limited
TRAINING AND GEAR
The local jungle guides who help with trail preparation, as well
as the military and fire service support teams, cover their arms,
legs and heads when they are in the jungle because of the plants
that can cut skin. If you don’t cover your skin, you are also more
likely to get ticks as you cross swamps. But the scariest thought
of all is that you have less protection against snake bites if there
are no layers between the Jungle and your skin. Some even
recommend snake guards that protect the legs from just below
the knee to the top of the feet. Though snakes are not predators,
they will attack when stepped on. “I decided against the snake
guards. It looks too uncomfortable. I normally wear compression
tights, but for this race I will wear full length tights to protect
myself against scrapes and cuts,” says Ryan. He is also looking
at ways to protect his feet from getting wet and while training,
he deliberately runs through wet puddles to get his feet used to
possible wetness.
Ryan’s backpack weighs about 9kg. Competitors need to be
totally self-sufficient and take their own hammocks and some
type of covering to keep warm at night when they sleep at
campsites along the shores of the river. Like all other competitors,
Ryan had to undergo a full medical examination as part of the
entry process. He is planning to leave a week before the start of
the race in order to acclimatise.
Ryan normally trains in a three to four week cycle, starting
off with an easy week which builds up to a difficult week.
His average weekly programme for big races includes:
Monday: Gym in the evening and sauna afterwards.
Tuesday: Run for 15km to 25km including running in
an environmental chamber at the Sports
Science Institute of South Africa (one hour on
the road and 40 to 60 minutes in the chamber).
Wednesday: Run two to three hours on trails/mountains
(with backpack).
Thursday: Run for 15km to 25km including running in
environmental chamber (one hour on road and
40 to 60 minutes in the chamber).
Friday: Gym.
Saturday: Three to nine hour run on trails/mountains
(with backpack).
Sunday: Three to five hour run on trails/mountains
(with backpack) followed by gym and sauna.
Ryan trains on trails around Hout Bay, Table Mountain, Cape Point and on the
beach. He usually runs alone, but sometimes he has a buddy who joins him
for two hours of his long run. “I get bored running on the road, but on trails
it seems as if things get a lot clearer. Halfway through a six hour run, a lot of
things clear up in my head. The only bad thing about running so much is that
my social life has gone downhill!”
In the months leading up to the Jungle Marathon, Ryan has added a lot
of gym work to his routine in order to strengthen his body. Training in
the environmental chamber has also helped him. He runs on a treadmill
in the chamber where one can control the heat and humidity. He
sometimes pushes the heat up to 43°C and the humidity to 40%.
“I would love to win the Jungle Marathon. That’s the best case
scenario, but I would be naïve to think I can just go out there
and win it on my first try. My goal is to try and finish it as quickly
as possible, but anything can happen. You could be bitten by
a snake and apparently there are giant rats and wild pigs to
negotiate. If I see them, I will probably climb up a tree,” says
Ryan, who admits he is terrified of snakes. He has woken
up a few times in the last couple of weeks leading up
STAGES OF THE JUNGLE MARATHON
The stage distances are approximately as
follows, but are subject to change
Stage 1: Departs 07:00 -16.3km - cut-off
17:30
Stage 2: Departs 06:00 - 24.5km - cut-off
17:30
Stage 3: Departs 06:00 - 31.1km - cut-off
17:30
Stage 4: Departs 07:30 - 18.4km - cut-off
17:30 (End of 100km race)
Stage 5: Departs 05:30 - 87km (This is a
non-stop overnight stage) - cut off at
19:00 on second day of stage
Stage 6: Departs 08:00 - 24.8km - cut-off
17:00 (End of 200km race)
Image: Wouter Kingma/RacingThePlanet Limited
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