Adventurous shepherd from Perthshire completes epic 230km charity ultra marathon in the Amazon rainforest
dailyrecord.co.ukAn intrepid shepherd from Perthshire has completed an epic charity ultra marathon in the Amazon jungle. Shauney Watson (26), who is based in the Caputh and Dunkeld area, was up every day at 4am for weeks delivering lambs before she set off on the adventure of a lifetime.
Last week Shauney took part in the 230km Jungle Ultra, sprinting through ravines and scrabbling through cloud forest in the Manu National Park near Cusco in Peru.The race saw 36 athletes battle it out, running five marathons in five days through the jungle, getting some minimal rest in a hammock in between.There were wire river crossings, high humidity, bugs and lots of mud as they descended to the Amazon River basin.The race was cancelled twice before because of COVID and Shauney was keen to get her boots on the ground in South America.Not for the faint-hearted, she had to be self-sufficient with the exception of receiving clean water at the nightly stops.Clothing, food, a day’s water, sleeping bag and hammock had to be carried by each participant.Besides a 200m stretch of hard-packed trail leading to the first river crossing just outside Huacaria, the entire route is run on twisting, undulating, jungle trail.Brave and determined Shauney finished last Friday, pleased just to have made it through the challenge.She did her Jungle Ultra to raise money for Rock2Recovery, an organisation which links up ex-servicemen and women and their families in their hour of need to appropriate mental health services.Shauney, who is a UKCC level 2 riding coach and is also studying a degree in sport, fitness and coaching, has walked and run in exceptional conditions abroad before.In 2019 she was one of the competitors in a marathon through Vietnam.Before that she ran a
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