19 November, 2010
Source: John O'Groat Journal
KENNY Paterson must have felt very proud when he crossed the finishing line.
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For he had just completed a gruelling 200-kilometre race in the Amazon Rainforest, Brazil, in six stages over 10 days and managed to raise around £1500 for charity.
During the event, 43-year-old Kenny, an Orcadian who has lived in Thurso for the past 14 years, had to contend with tough jungle terrain, cross rivers and cope with hot temperatures.
He saw spiders and scorpions, thousands of ants of various sizes, and had a close encounter with a jaguar and a group of howler monkeys.
Kenny also experienced spectacular bolts of lightning that lit up the sky, heard thunder roar and even discovered the best way to treat blisters on sore feet.
"I met some great people there and the camaraderie among the 100 competitors was amazing. While we all wanted to do well, everyone was looking out for each other and giving each other encouragement," he told the John O'Groat Journal.
Kenny, who carried his food and hammock in a backpack, completed the daunting race in a total time of 54 hours and 47 minutes.
"The adrenaline was flowing and it was a great feeling crossing that finishing line. It is something I will always remember.
"Lunch was laid on for us and, afterwards, we were taken to a hotel in Santarém, 33 kilometres away. I just sat on the bus with a sense of wellbeing - a great feeling," he recalled.
He said the hardest part of the race came on day five when he did 89km in 23 hours.
"That was tough. I lost the shelter of the jungle canopy just after midday and the sun was hot. A lot of the ground was soft and sandy which saps the strength out of you. I was close to overheating that afternoon. It was also hard to stay awake during the night stage.
"I was sleepwalking at times but managed to reach the camp at 5.15 the following morning and, needless to say, I was tired.
"If you left the trail it would be very easy to become lost. You needed to be careful not to grab hold of branches for balance on steep climbs because you would be liable to dislodge some creature from above you. It's best not to disturb anything if possible. A lot of the plants have sharp needles and barbs that are best avoided."
Kenny described the Amazon River as huge and pointed out that, at times, he could hardly see the other side of it.
He said: "The water level was very low when we were there due to low rainfall. During the rainy season the river level rises by at least four to six metres.
"We were advised to shuffle our feet through the mud during river crossings so we would disturb stingrays without standing on them. Apparently, it is when you put your foot on top of them that you will get stung.
"I spotted lots of spiders and scorpions throughout the week. I didn't see any snakes, although some of the other competitors did. There were thousands of ants of various sizes and they are a right curse if you stand among them without noticing. You needed to be careful where you sat or you'd get bitten by all sorts of things.
"One day a couple of us heard a jaguar very close by and we didn't hang about. We were told that jaguars don't normally attack humans but, as with any wild animal, you never know so we kept clear. On the night of the long stage one guy did come across a jaguar preening itself but he didn't stick around to get a closer look or take any photos.
"We also saw monkeys high up in the trees as we went along the trails. I tried to take some pictures but they were moving too fast. One night we could hear howler monkeys in the distance. They live in groups of up to 18 and can be heard up to two or three miles away."
Asked about any other unusual sights he observed while in Brazil, Kenny replied: "The bolts of lightning were spectacular and lit up the sky while the thunder roared. I thought until then you would only get the likes of that in the movies."
He added: "A lot of buildings are on stilts to keep the houses above water level in the rainy season. Some of them were 50 metres or more from the water but when the level rises the occupants can fish from the front door."
Kenny explained that Alter do Chão - the small town where the race finished - is known as the Caribbean of the Amazon.
"It's very tranquil and the people are friendly. Because of the remoteness, fewer people there speak English and it forces you to make the effort to learn Portuguese, which in my case is very basic," he said.
"This trip has been a huge learning curve for me. Previously, my longest race was the 42-kilometre Lairig Ghru which goes through the central Cairngorms from Braemar to Aviemore. I was always interested in going to the Amazon Rainforest so when I came across this race it seemed a great opportunity to see some real jungle.
"I have been running for the last few years and was looking for a bigger challenge. Most of the race was over rough terrain so I did a lot of hill running in preparation."
He revealed that prior to the race in Brazil he had little idea of how to avoid blisters and the best way to treat them. "The medics were brilliant and without them life would have been a lot harder for sure," he said.
Kenny also admitted he was a "bit worried" in case he did not manage to finish the race after getting donations from people for charity. "I was relieved when I reached the end and am extremely grateful to everyone who contributed money for the Caithness and Orkney MS therapy centres."
He chose the centres as they are local and provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy which has been found to help MS patients and people with leg ulcers, frostbite, hepatitis C, Crohn's disease, ME, Raynaud's and other conditions.
Kenny described the 200-kilometre race as a "once-in-a-lifetime experience" but already has plans to take part in other races - although they will be nearer to home and may include the Highland Fling. It is over 50 miles and covers part of the West Highland Way.
After leaving school, Kenny was employed as a fisherman and diver before going offshore to the oil rigs. Since 2001, he has worked for Subsea 7, mostly on pipe-laying ships in the North Sea but more recently his job has taken him to Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico and West Africa and Norway. He is currently working in Angola.