The Jungle Ultra - an update from Marvellous Mimi
Mimi ("Marvellous Mimi") Anderson flew out to Peru on Sunday 20 May for the inaugural Jungle Ultra, a 235km self-sufficiency staged race consisting of a tough mix of jungle trails, mountain roads and village tracks leading their way through the Cloud Forest and Amazon jungle.
The organisers’ said that it would be one of the toughest races in the world, because there is no jungle like the jungle in Peru, with its virgin forests, diverse wildlife and numerous tribes.
For the race itself - with the longest stage measured at 90k and the shortest (but toughest) measured at 20k - the competitors were to be totally self-sufficient, carrying their hammocks, food and supplies for the entire race, replenishing only with water along the way at the check points and base camps.
The event was designed to test every part of the competitors’ fitness, with running, walking, climbing, ducking and swimming just a few of few of the skills that would be called upon. Humidity levels would hit almost 100%, making sweating useless in maintaining core body temperature, leaving competitors saturated for extended periods of the race.
Now safely back in the UK, Mimi has sent us an update!