Chesterfield men take on five-day ultramarathon through Amazon Rainforest to fundraise for Ashgate Hospice

Dave Benison and Carl Bamford, both from Chesterfield, are set to run a five-day ultramarathon through the unforgiving terrain of the Amazon Rainforest, in an effort to raise funds for Ashgate Hospice.

Starting on June 6, the ‘jungle ultra’ will see the pair travel 230km through the Manu National Park, deep in the Peruvian Amazon. They will start in the cloud forests of the Andes Mountains, some 3000m high, and work their way down to the finishing point at the Amazon Basin.

Dave said: “Each stage varies slightly in length, but it’s roughly a marathon on each of the first four days, and then a double marathon to finish off with on the last day. The temperatures will be around 35°C and there’ll be 85% humidity as well.

“We’ll start off with a 12kg bag, carrying all our food, water, equipment and the hammocks we’ll be sleeping in every night.

“The hard thing with this one is that it was planned two years ago, and we’ve had to keep training for that long without being too sure when it would take place. We’d hoped to go out last year but that didn’t happen, and we’ve had to keep it up for another 12 months.”

The pair are hoping to raise £2,500 for Ashgate Hospice. Carl said he had a personal connection to the charity, after his mum received end-of-life care at the hospice 12 years ago.

“We’ve both got some connection with Ashgate, but for me personally, my mum spent her final days there in 2010. It’s a place that’s close to my heart.

“We were doing it for them before Covid, but with the pandemic hitting a lot of charities, it’s become even more important now.”

Both are well prepared for the distance involved, having completed multi-day ultramarathons in the past. They did, however, admit that the wildlife may present a few problems for them.

Carl said: “The wildlife is probably a concern for me – a rat can run in front of me and I’m jumping about.”

Dave added: “I jumped a mile when a bee flew down my top as I was running down the canal the other night, so I don’t know what we’ll be like in the jungle – it’s all good fun.”

Donations can be made at their fundraising page here.

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