Ryan
Sandes
South Africa
·
Ultrarunning
Date of birth | 10 March 1982 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Cape Town, South Africa |
Age | 43 |
Nationality | South Africa |
Career start | 2008 |
Disciplines | Ultrarunning |
Ryan Sandes has run more than twice the circumference of Earth during his career so far, so it's no surprise that he holds so many ultrarunning records.
The human running machine from South Africa holds the fastest known time on the iconic Great Himalaya Trail and the Drakensberg Grand Traverse, was the first person to win all four of the 4 Deserts events and has claimed victory in trail races on every continent, including the prestigious Western States Endurance Run and Leadville Trail 100.
He claimed his record-breaking 4 Deserts accolade after victory in the event in Antarctica at the end of 2010, leading the 250km event from start to finish after previously winning the Gobi Desert and Sahara races, followed by a first place in the Atacama Desert marathon in Chile.
In 2011, he ran the third-fastest time in history at the Leadville Trail 100, and in 2012 achieved a record time on the 90km Fish River Canyon hiking trail, before, in 2013, becoming the first person to win ultramarathons on every continent.
Teaming up with running partner Ryno Griesel, Sandes made more history in 2014 when they set the fastest known time (FKT) of 41h 49m on Drakensberg Grand Traverse, a 209km unmarked and self-navigated route across the main Drakensberg escarpment between South Africa and Lesotho.
The duo's biggest achievement however is their smashing of the FKT on the holy grail of ultraruns, the Great Himalaya Trail, in 2018. Running the 1,504km trail through the extreme altitudes of the world's highest mountain range, Sandes and Griesel smashed the previous record by a massive three days. "That is, without question, the most wild and craziest journey I've ever done," says Sandes.
In 2022 Sandes and Griesel will set off on their most ambitious expedition yet. The pair are attempting a full circumnavigation of Lesotho, The Mountain Kingdom. Over 17 days, Sandes and Griesel will aim to cover around 1,100km.
Training for anything up to 20 hours at a time, Sandes says his sport is certainly tough on the body, but mental strength is just as important as physical fitness. He likes to see how far he can push himself on the multi-day races when his body is telling him, 'no more!'.
"If you love what you do, it is easy to be successful," he says. "I like setting myself challenging goals and not stopping until I achieve them. I suppose you could call me stubborn, determined – I don't stop until I achieve my goal."