Jungle Trekker 2004

Extreme Ultrarunning at its finest. 220 Kilometers over seven days in the heart of the Amazon jungle.

Extreme in every respect.

Restricted to 60 Runners.

Race Summary

The jungle race, to be held September 6-16, promises a tough challenge for elite runners, and is being organized by jungletrekker.com of the United States, in partnership with TVSelva Productions, Ltd. of Manaus, Brazil. The team was responsible for the field production, course design, and ground operations of the 2003 jungle race, featured in many European and Brazilian running magazines and Web sites.

This is a self-sufficient race, in which participants must carry their own food and equipment, sleep in hammock campsites and compete over 220 Km (140 miles) of jungle trails in seven stages. The challenge tests the stamina, the endurance, the courage, and the adrenaline of experienced competitors. It also brings runners, organizers, and local communities together towards conservation and environmental education projects. Ten percent of the enrollment fees and other proceedings will be contributed to the introduction and implementation of programs that benefit people who live in the region where the race is held.

According to the organizers, the course captures the essence of the Amazon onto a path full of surprises, including up and down slopes, natural obstacles (vines, and fallen trees), breathtaking sights, water falls, lakes, and small communities that participate in the making of the event. Jungletrekker 220 is also being produced for television as a 5-part series to be released two months after the event.

The challenge is a way for runners to share in an incredible experience on the same trails where French Karim Mosta and South African Lisa de Speville took the podium to celebrate their Brazilian Amazon victory in 2003. This is a “must-do” event for experienced competitors. The race is limited to only 60 runners each year to allow for greater environmental and safety management.

Gary and Rebekah Trittipoe are acting as agents for the race in the United States. This means any runner from the USA that has an interest in, or that ultimately enters the race has a race representative in the United States. Rebekah ran the inaugural jungle race in 2003. That race covered essentially the same course as this year's Jungle Trekker 220. She was the second woman overall and highest finishing American. As a race agent for the Jungle Trekker 220, Rebekah is available to aid US participants in registration, travel, and most importantly answering technical race questions. In others words, if you choose to participate you will not be on your own!

Rebekah summarizes the race experience below.

In most of our lives there exists a defining moment. A moment so significant that your life is forever changed. For me, that moment was Sept 13, 2003. I was anxiously watching my sons play in a Saturday morning soccer game. Never before had I felt such crushing pressure from an upcoming event. As my muddy boys left the field I felt overwhelmingly compelled to have a family photo taken. If something happened to me, I wanted them to have a picture of our happy family. I choked back the tears as I bid my husband and boys farewell. I looked neither to the left nor the right as I walked with two of my closest friends to the car. We climbed in and started the long drive to Dulles International airport. My long journey to the Amazon jungle of Brazil had begun.

Having a nine year history of running ultramarathons, running 30, 50 or even 100 miles in a day was not particularly daunting. But, to run 160 miles over 6 stages in unknown territory was quite a different story. Relentless heat and humidity, snakes, poisonous spiders, jungle cats of prey and swamps were not a part of my past experience. The danger of this undertaking was real. The difficulty of the terrain would prove unforgiving. The logistical difficulties of a completely self-sufficient race with the exception of bottled water mind-boggling. I could not - no, I would not - fail, God willing.

From the moment I Ianded in Brazil, a floodgate of new experiences hit me from every side. The language, the people, the sights and sounds were all novel. From the pre-race shopping trip to the market to the day-long boat ride into the jungle, I stood amazed that I was at last embarking on my own personal adventure. I had written books and articles about the high adventure of others but finally, this trip, this race, was my own.

The six days of racing would provide numerous opportunities for improvement: improvement in strategy, improvement in attitude, improvement physically, and improvement spiritually. The highs and lows experienced on a daily level were ever changing. Unbreakable bonds were formed with fellow runners.

Personal sickness and it's debilitating weakness forced me to rely solely on God as my strength. The "fun meter" would reach all-time lows, only to rebound again as the Lord restored my well-being. The stench of the rotting jungle would become oppressive. Nevertheless, the complexity of the ecosystem, the brilliant array of the starry equatorial sky, and the cacophony of jungle sounds were testaments to a marvelous creation.

The time in the jungle was more than a race; it was an examination of life and priorities. It was a test of resolve and character. It was an experience of a lifetime not to be missed.