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Tom Bird Update 9/11/09

Raising money for charity through physical endeavour is nothing new. It takes many forms and can raise anything from a few Pounds to 1000's of Pounds, be anything from a 10km fun-run to something rather more ambitious - what matters of course is making the effort and doing some good for someone less fortunate than yourself. But sometimes it's just that extra bit special. When we were approached by Tom Bird for some Sport Beans to help him train for, and ultimately achieve his goal of completing the jungle marathon, we knew that this was something special.

A 125-mile marathon over over seven days, across harsh terrain including raw jungle, jungle tracks, beaches and villages, swimming across rivers alive with piranhas, not to mention all the 'usual' hazards like insects, snakes and scorpions. This was not for the faint-hearted and certainly not for the ill-prepared. The runners would have to be self-sufficient from the moment they arrived in Brazil, needing to carry their own hammocks and provisions, as well as the whole week’s supply of food. The only sustenance they could pick up along the way would be 2.5 litres of water at each checkpoint.

Well, Tom succeeded and in grand style too, finishing 36th out of 120 starters. Here's what he had to say afterwards:
"It is so important to get the food intake right for these events – especially the long stages. Getting the balance of nutrients is so key. Fit, healthy people were suffering on the first day with severe dehydration issues, 5 people were fitting, 2 of whom went into a coma and when you are 8 hours from the nearest hospital (and I use the word hospital loosely, more like a 3rd world medical facility), the risks are massive.
That aside, the race itself was amazing. Like hell and paradise wrapped into one. It takes a while to acclimatise to the humidity. The terrain itself is a huge challenge. It was extremely hot, humid and we had to clamber over roots and wade through streams, swimming (dodging piranha and cayman crocs), clambering up and down muddy slopes - all of it carrying our own food, medical supplies and hammocks. The food was so important. Breakfast was a difficult one – freeze dried porridge (tasted like wallpaper paste) and then the evening meal – again freeze dried with rice. Most important though, were the race snacks - the Sport Beans were so key to giving me that extra boost and lift when the going got tough. A couple of my fellow runners were feeling a bit low at one stage and wanted to pull out and luckily I had a couple of spare packets so gave them both a pack. It was a welcome treat to those used to the traditional jelly babies and nuts. The jungle is a hard environment in which to race - the heat and humidity of the forest make it extremely demanding and surprisingly debilitating. Cuts and blisters became infected and you come close to losing the plot at some points (especially the night stages) so my Sport Beans became my very valuable friends and kept me from losing my sanity and life !

Maybe I'll do it again next year…

Tom"

Well Tom, what an extreme event that was, extreme effort and extreme endurance required in spades! If you decide to do it all over again next year, maybe you should try some Extreme Beans - coming soon! We think that'll help you try for a top-20 place!  

Tom Bird is 36 but he has not always been athletic. He suffered from asthma, breathing difficulties and broke both his legs at an early age. Unable to run any significant distance, he failed every race at school and was pretty poor at swimming. He almost drowned on numerous occasions. Tom decided to take control of his symptoms and sought advice from herbalists, spiritualists and alternative medicine doctors - as he puts it "I befriended the so-called shamen and miraculously I became healthy. The rest as they say is history." And it's a history of real inspiration. Sport Beans are proud to sponsor Tom as he powers through his latest challeng to complete the Jungle Marathon - a 200l, race through one of the most remote states of Brazil. in October this year. Follow his progress on his website  http://iamtombird.com/

Jan – April: Preparation
Spent training for the London Marathon. Weekly long runs, slowly building the mileage up at a medium level of effort, not killing myself just incrementally adding time and effort to my workouts. This combined with gym effort seemed to form a good base fitness. The challenge I find with long distance running is getting the balance right of carbohydrates pre-race, and during plus electrolytes. I seem to be able to stuff myself in some races but then hit the point where I just don’t feel like carrying on. The beauty of Sports Beans is they have that added “zing” in the flavour that can give you the push mentally and physically. Almost like a lithium battery being placed in the legs!

May – July: Post Marathon time to step up a gear
More core running combined with gym work. Living and working in London can have its benefits but its difficult to get decent training for the Amazon Jungle ! More of a concrete Jungle ! Running up to Hamstead Heath and through all the bushes is the only thing that resembles the Jungle around here – that and the Rainforest Café on Shaftesbury Avenue ! I also enlisted in a personal trainer – a Miss Isabella Hervey who was an absolute superstar and fitness Nazi ! Pushed me to the limits but it helped bulk up and assisted with the nutritional advice.

For the Jungle Bootcamp I attended a couple of weeks ago we did a couple of coastal path runs – aggressive climbs and beautiful views. A 10 mile on the Friday followed by a 26 mile run on the Saturday with loaded packs circa 8kg s in weight – this is where the funs starts as it’s a real test of getting the balance right of intake and listening to the body. Some people fell to the wayside , some people were taking salt tablets, running gels, isotonic drinks. I had a combination of goodies in my endurance back pack/front pack including Berry Blue and Fruit Punch, sometimes combining the two flavours as a special treat at difficult parts of the course. Next week sees me undertaking a 33 mile ultra marathon – the Endurance Coastal Crossings. This one involves negotiating three beautiful estuary crossings ! Just hope I don’t get my Sports Beans wet !