Stone-setting and swamp-crossing...

Today seemed like the right day to write this post. Having only briefly posted once or twice on here and my Facebook page, hinting at an upcoming challenge and a new project, I feel like it's about time I set in stone (or set in the wispy ether that is the internet anyway) what's actually happening. 

The Everest Marathon chapter of the Run Watson Run campaign is as officially closed as it's likely to become. Thursday saw the last school talk about the painfully wild and wonderful marathon at Webster's High School's Sports Awards. Seeing the children and teenagers up for the awards who are taking part and pushing themselves in sport (certainly more than I did at that age) was fantastic, and to give them even a tiny bit of inspiration to keep going and imagine even bigger dreams and goals was completely worth the sweaty hands and flushed complexion at having to stand up in front of so many people and speak like I knew what I was talking about!!

And so with Everest nicely rounded off it's time to say hello to a new, ludicrous plan. This time, in the sweaty depths of the Amazon jungle.

The 230km, entirely self-sufficient 5 day stage race will see us run from the cloud forest area to the Amazon basin and is set to cover cloud forest, amazon jungle, mountain sides, river and swamp crossings and amazon villages. During the final day we will be crossing over 50 rivers and swamps. The temperatures will be extremely high with humidity of up to 100% and the ever present risk of electrical storms. Alongside this, athletes will have to be trained on how to deal with the animals and insects they are likely to come across during the race, especially as a part of the race will be run during the night. 

It's a scary thing to take the crazy ideas you have been spinning in your head and announce them publicly as a definite thing. I've been doing it for a few years now but it never gets any less scary.

I think this is because, yet again, I'm wondering if this slightly insane idea is actually possible for me. Of course, other runners have managed it in previous years. But if we consider for a moment I have never run more than two long runs back to back, I've never covered more than 90km during a race, never mind 230km, never dealt with humidity and I certainly haven't delved into a swamp to get to the other side before, much less one likely to be teeming with God knows what....

** Oh christ, I've just googled water creatures in the Amazon jungle **

Anyway, given my experience (or lack of when it comes to stage races and underwater creepy-crawlies), you can see why this race might be a bit of an ambitious idea for me to take on. But never the less, it takes ridiculous, spectacular ideas to capture the imaginations of people, and that's what I'm hoping to do here. 

I am planning to tackle the Jungle Ultra in 2020, giving me two years to train for and complete some good solid preparation races, including a 100 miler (watch this space!). During this time, it's my aim to inspire and motivate (and yes, bully if I have to) combat veterans to take up extreme sport. I really believe in crazy ideas, crazy determination, and a willingness to have faith in something no one else thinks is possible. I believe it can completely change lives.

Alongside this I want to continue funding the projects that help combat veterans get back on their feet, especially those coming back from service suffering from PTSD. The journey from here to the Jungle will be entirely self-funded; I will be pitching this whole idea to several companies in the hope of securing sponsorship which will go straight to three charities at the forefront of veteran rehabilitation.

If you own (or are part of) a company and would like your brand name and image involved in the forthcoming challenge I would love to hear from you. 

Similarly, if you are a veteran, looking for a new aim, a new challenge or a new kind of lifestyle, fire me a message...I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

It's set to be one hell of a journey and the sooner you get on board, the more you'll get from it!

Signing out, the runner still staring in slight astonishment at a scary picture of a Black Caiman crocodile (are they really that big?)...