Jungle Marathon Man from Brampton, Jack Chitty

A Brampton man finished ninth in a gruelling 253-kilometre run through the Amazon rainforest.

Jack Chitty, 24, started the six-stage Jungle Marathon near Santarem, Brazil, on Sunday October 7, and finished seven days later in 59 hours, narrowly beaten to eighth position by an Argentinian.

The course takes the runners through dense forest, swamps, rough terrain and rivers in two stages of 22km, two stages of 40km, a 108km stage and a final stage of 25km. Less than half of the 85 competitors finished the course.

Mr Chitty, of Riddiford Crescent, said: “I love running and have done the London Marathon a few times but as I’m trying to become a Royal Marine, I thought I’d challenge myself to make myself more appealing to them.

“I was looking at ultra marathons and this one was described by CNN as the toughest foot race in the world, and I wanted to do it.

“It was tough and the hills were insane. I got lost and found myself having to put up my hammock over a mangrove swamp and wait for it to get light to continue.

“Because we go through a conservation area only 85 people can do it a year. For me its a once in a lifetime thing.”