Ryan Sandes – South Africa’s champion ultramarathon runner

Ryan Sandes has been called the world’s best trail runner. After completing the 2006 Knysna Marathon on a whim, he discovered a latent talent for long distance running. The Hout Bay native then surprised the running world by coming out of trail running obscurity to win the Gobi March in China in March 2008 and the Sahara Desert Race in Egypt in November 2008, beating long-time professionals. Both races are part of the Four Deserts Challenge, a series of seven-day, self-supporting 250-kilometre endurance races in some of the world’s harshest climates.

The 27-year old has set himself the challenge of being the first person to win all four desert races and is well on his way to achieving it. He is the first entrant ever to have won all stages of the Gobi and the Sahara, and in March, he won all stages of the Atacama Crossing in Chile. He plans to finish off the series by running the Last Desert Race in Antarctica in November this year.

In between conquering the Four Deserts Challenge, he also won the Jungle Marathon in October 2009, an extreme 200-kilometre race through the Amazonian Jungle, and came second in a 250-kilometre race in Namibia in 2009.

I caught up with Ryan just after he won the Atacama Crossing to find out how it went, and see how he’s prepared to take on the last race of the Four Deserts Series.

How did the Atacama Crossing differ from the other races you’ve run?

The Atacama Desert had the soft sand and huge dunes of the Sahara, technical and hilly terrain of the Gobi and a little extra – the salt flats. The salt flats look like fields of coral and it is really hard to run on this as every few seconds your feet sink through the coral (hardened salt) and your legs get sliced up. The salt makes all your cuts burn, saps all the energy out of your legs and is slow going. The Atacama was also extremely cold at night and waking up in the freezing cold conditions in the morning was not fun!

What were the highlights and lowlights of the race?

The highlight of the race was seeing all the familiar faces and meeting new competitors. Winning the long stage in under seven hours was also a high point! A lowlight was falling in the salt flats during the long stage. At the time I was not amused but now thinking back I have a good laugh about it.

What were the biggest challenges of therace?

The main challenge I faced running the Atacama Desert was the extreme altitude of the race, as I live at sea level in Cape Town. We started the race at over 3 600 metres above sea level and this caused a number of competitors to get sick with nausea and upset stomachs. I spent a week at high altitude in Bolivia beforehand so I had adjusted to the altitude. The salt flats were also a real challenge to run on.

Were you in Chile during the recent earthquake?

I was not in Chile for the main earthquake but I was in Calama at the time of the second earthquake. It was really scary – my hotel room was shaking and the building was moving from side to side. I experienced the longest 70 seconds of my life while I contemplated jumping out of my hotel room window. Getting to Chile from Bolivia after the earthquake became really difficult as all my flights were cancelled, so I ended up taking a 25-hour long bus ride to Calama, Chile, which was actually a great experience.

What other races have you done so far this year?

I did the first and second races of the Cape Summer Trail Series in Cape Town.

I trained a lot for the Atacama Crossing and was running 25 to 30 hours a week. Before the race I did some altitude training in the Drakensberg in preparation.

Do you think that the long-distance endurance races you run are more mentally challenging than physically challenging?

Yes, definitely. You have to push through when your body says stop. In Namibia after 15 kilometres into the long stage, I felt like I couldn’t go five kilometres further, let alone 85 kilometres. I just made myself keep going – I put one foot in front of the other and did it. You do get used to having to do that.

You hadn’t done any endurance races before the Gobi March. Did you feel mentally prepared to run the race?

Mentally I didn’t know what to expect. For the first few days I was just having fun, enjoying running the race and I didn’t feel under pressure. After day three, I realised that I had a chance at winning the race. On the fourth day I was in the lead and I started putting pressure on myself to win and began to take mental strain.

After the Gobi race I was planning to stop running and have a social life again. I didn’t expect to win the race in my wildest dreams! After the race was finished, while I was on the bus back to the hotel I was feeling really pleased to have won, but I also had an empty feeling, thinking what next? I had spent so long training and then had nothing left after the race was over. After that, one thing led to another and I’m continuing to do these endurance races.

What’s it like running for long distances on your own in deserts?

On the Sahara race I was out on my own and there was only sand as far as you can see. It was quite scary – I couldn’t see anyone behind me or to the sides. Mentally it takes a lot out of me, so I decided to run the the long stage (100 kilometres) with someone else.

What do you eat during self-supporting races?

You can’t carry much – I skip out on clothing and bring more food instead. I eat ProNutro, a lot of freeze-dried meals, Smash and stock cubes, two-minute noodles and soya mince, which tastes terrible but when you are so hungry it’s really good.

Do you have to carry your own water?

No – water is rationed, but this can get quite tricky because you have to be careful that you drink enough.

On the Jungle Marathon there were no restrictions on water. At every checkpoint you are given water, but on one stage I missed the checkpoint and went eight kilometres without water. I started getting dizzy and dehydrated. I risked getting sick, but in desperation I drank from a stagnant river.

The Jungle Marathon is different in terms of terrain to the desert races you’ve run. Did you find it more challenging?

It is one of the most extreme races you can run. During the race you’ll be running in ankle-deep water one moment and the next you are up to your neck in the swamp.

I entered the race without giving it much thought. It was only after I had entered that I discovered the dangers of racing in the Amazon jungle. Before the race started we were given a briefing by the local military on all the dangers in the jungle. There are deadly Bushmaster snakes (you have two hours to live after being bitten), jaguars, scorpions, hornets… I had to walk out halfway through the briefing because I thought I wouldn’t be able to run if I carried on listening.

I didn’t see any jaguars but saw a few snakes, which I am terrified of, and I was stung by lots of hornets. Luckily I didn’t come across any anacondas!

The Jungle Marathon was a good experience for a change but I wouldn’t rush back.

So far you’ve excelled at races in hot, dry places. How will running in Antarctica at the end of the year be a different challenge?

Running in extreme cold is all about the right equipment – if I wear the correct gear, I’ll be fine. I will be doing some runs in the Cape Union Mart freeze chamber for training.

Antarctica is different to other Four Deserts Challenge races, in that the competitors stay on the boat for the duration of the race. We will travel by boat to six different islands, where we will run each day.

What other races are you running this year?

I’m running the African-X Trail Run in Kleinmond in May, and the Hout Bay Trail Challenge in July. I’m looking forward to the Transalpine run in September. It’s an eight-day run through the Alps, starting in Germany, passing through Switzerland and finishing in Italy. After that, I’m running the Thule 4 Peaks in the Free State.

What races would you like to run in the future?

Racing the planet has a race on in Nepal next year, which I would love to do. I would also like to do Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley, California. I will need to do a few 100-mile races before that though. The Comrades is also on the cards.

What are your favourite running routes in Cape Town?

I run a lot around Hout Bay, where I live. I also like Silvermine and I run quite a lot up Table Mountain. It does depend on the race I am training for though – I try to run on similar terrain on my training routes.

What have been your favourite races in terms of location?

They all have different highlights. Gobi was amazing, as we got to see a lot of the locals when running through villages. I have gone to places I would have never thought of going to before, like the Amazonian jungle. Some of these races have taken place in places that are closed off to the public, like the Gobi Desert and Namibia, and I feel lucky to have experienced these incredible landscapes. Chile is one of the most beautiful places I have been to and I would definitely like to go back there again. The coastline is spectacular and there is something very special about the desert. The people are very friendly and helpful and I felt like I was at home.

Do you have time for travelling in between all your training and races?

I don’t get much time to travel, but I do see a lot of places through racing. I’ll get to the race location a few weeks before the race starts, and I’m able to see a bit of the country. When you drive through somewhere you don’t really get to experience it. I find that by running through somewhere I get to see a lot more. I don’t get to travel around the country as much as I’d like to, but by staying in the same village before the race starts I’ve been able to interact with a lot of locals, which has been great.

Do you think about whether you would have started trail running if you hadn’t entered the Knysna Marathon?

I have always enjoyed being fairly active, so maybe I would have gotten into it in another way. But, come to think of it, probably not. I would have kept on partying…

Why have you chosen trail running over road running?

For me it is a lot easier to spend four to five hours on the trails where the terrain is changing. In training for the Comrades you spend hours training slogging on the road just looking out for the next car, whereas with trail running your mind becomes clear and you feel like you are in another world up in the mountains. While running up Table Mountain you sometimes won’t see people for two or three hours. Road running is so much more monotonous.

When do you see yourself stopping trail running?

That’s a tough one – there is still a lot that I want to do. I’m just going to take one or two years at a time. When it’s no longer fun then I will stop.

Runners World named you as one of the top five heroes of running in 2008. How did you feel about that recognition?

They compared me to Usain Bolt and Haile Gebrselassie, which I thought was a bit extreme – I think I still have a lot to achieve before I get to where the are. But it is definitely something to aim towards.

Check out Ryan’s blog and website for news and updates.