There are a couple of athletes who I like to keep track of. Their mind space is exciting, their physical prowess something I can gain a bit of knowledge from. Ryan is one of these guys. I wondered what was on his plate for the rest of the year, so I figured you might as well. I asked him 4 short questions – now you can track his progress and bookmark some dates.

1. Tell us a bit about your year so far – it’s been one full of new challenges from what I have picked up

This year I have shifted my focus from multi day races to one day 100km and 100mile mountain races. I have raced two major 100km races this year in Australia and Europe which have gone relatively well (3rd in Aus and 4th at the Zugspitz) against some stiff competition. My main focus race of the year (Leadville 100miler) is coming up in 5 weeks so most of my training has been geared towards that. I am really excited about running my first 100miler but it is going to be really tough running at 3000-4000m above sea level. Then in November I will be heading to Nepal to run another stage race so I have some exciting challenges ahead.

2. Any cool new 2012 gear you are testing?

Yes, I was at the Salomon Advance week earlier this year and I have been working with the designers on some cool new products. The products include shoes, backpacks and some gear. I also tested out one of the new Suunto toys to be launched soon. Oakley have also got some very cool new lenses which I have been testing.

3. What the is the race schedule for the remaining part of 2011?

My main focus races for the rest of the year are:

Leadville 100miler in August.

Racing the Planet Nepal in November.

I am hoping to run Table Mountain Trail Challenge depending on how my legs feel after Leadville.

4. Any new, exciting projects on the go?

I am working on a few free running (non race) / record attempt ideas. One of the biggest factors that attract me to trail running is exploring new places and landscapes. I am hoping to head back to the Fish River Canyon next year to attempt the canyon speed record. That canyon is one place that scares me!

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Not content with being crowned Champion of the 4 Deserts Racing Series after having won every stage of every Desert Race (Atacama, Sahara, Gobi and Antarctica) the legendary Sandman – Ryan Sandes – has set his sites on breaking the record for the quickest time to run the Fish River Canyon Trail in Namibia.

The record for the 84km trail run – set in one of the harshest climates and terrains – was originally set on the 13th of July 1990 by South Africans Ronnie Muhl and Bruce Matthews – both seasoned Comrades runners – in a time of 11hrs 42min. It was then beaten last by 3 Namibian locals Russell Paschke, Charlie du Toit and Coenraad Pool on the 16th of August 2003 in a time of 10hrs 54min.

Charlie du Toit, a veteran of 4 Comrades Marathons and who has a sub 7hr 30min silver medal finish to his credit, summed up this achievement by announcing that in his opinion it was harder than anything he had done before. “This canyon is not for the faint hearted and an attempt to run it should not be taken light heartedly”.

Enter the Sandman, “A few years ago I had the privilege of running part of the Fish River Canyon on one of the stages of the Racing the Planet Namibia race. The canyon is one of the most beautiful places I have seen but at the same time is one of the harshest environments I have run in. I really battled in the canyon due to the extreme heat and terrain and running in there was one of the toughest days of my athletic career. For some reason I have always wanted to go back to the Fish River Canyon,” says Sandes.

On the 14th of March 2011, Ryan will be heading up to the Fish River Canyon to attempt to break the current record. Ryan will be scouting the route for a few days with Russell Paschke and Tinus Hansen from www.africanextremepromotions.com and then attempting the record run on the 19th of March.

“I think this challenge is going to extremely tough but I can’t wait to get back into the canyon. The record attempt will be filmed by the African Attachment / Wandering Fever so I will keep everyone posted on where and when you can watch it,” says Sandes.

Joining Ryan on his attempt to run the 84km trail un-aided will be doctors and scientists from the South African Sports Science Institute in Cape Town, along with a couple of enthusiastic journalists to see if they could survive even running part of the distance. Founder of Velocity Sports Lab – Ryan’s title sponsor for 2011 – Trevor McLean-Anderson will also be running part of the route with Ryan.

For more info or to follow Ryan’s record attempt please follow Ryan on his blog on www.ryansandes.com and watch footage on www.wanderingfever.com.

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Good luck bro…

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Image courtesy of Nick Muzik.

I recently grabbed the chance to interview Ryan Sandes. If you have not heard of him, shame on you. He is probably one of the 3 most awarded athletes in South Africa. His sport, ultra STAGE marathon running (across deserts no less) is quite niche and like a Greg Minnaar, he is not a household name. I wanted to get some background questions to why he is so good, but in reality I ended up with the knowledge that the guy works harder than anyone I know. Plain and simple. He is willing to out train every single other hopeful ultra STAGE marathon runner in the world. Period. Full Stop. #BOOM Let’s get to the questions:

1. We have as many nerve endings in our feet as in our nether regions, hence the joy of running. Runners “high” is something I am sure you can contest to. Are you more affected when running by what you feel, or by what you see, seeing as you are someone who runs in the beautiful wide.

I would say it is a combination of both, but definitely what I see effects how I feel. When running in places like the Amazon Jungle, Atacama Desert, Fishriver Canyon, and Table Mountain I am on a constant “runners high” and running up a hill, dune or through a swamp does not feel like hard work. I become like a little kid exploring a new play park and I want too see more and hence keep running. One of the main attractions of trail running for me is the awesome environment I get to run in.

2. I have a suspicion that you have an inherent engine of economy. The way you have risen to the top has been miraculous to some, but I would hope to think you spend 10 000 hours doing something to build your engine as a kid. Economy is surely the biggest factor to your kind of running. What was your childhood like in terms of (subconsciously, of course) teaching your body to run/function on as little effort as possible? How much focus do you place in your current training on economy of movement?

My Dad ran a few Two Oceans marathons when I was about four or five years old and some of my earliest childhood memories are of me running around the garden with his medals on pretending I had just won the Two Oceans! But this was short lived and my main focus was rugby as I think it is every South African kid’s dream to play for the Springboks. Playing flank at school I always had to be one of the fitter guys on the rugby field so maybe that was the start of were I learnt how to run far..

Naturally I have quite an unusual running style but it is really economical so I have not tried to change anything, as it seems to be working. I spend a lot of time on the trails getting my body used to running long distances and this definitely helps my body adapt to being more economical.

3. Your sport is so much more niche than mine. Running is the biggest sport in the world, but Ultra STAGE Race Running is tiny. A niche which you are the worlds leading athlete at. Would you move to a more mainstream version of running if the opportunity existed to improve your professional career or are you focused on your niche for the foreseeable future?

I have set myself three major goals that I would like to achieve as an ultra distance runner. That is to win the 4 Desert Series (www.4deserts.com), the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc and the Badwater Ultra marathon (www.badwater.com).

The 4 Desert Series and the other multi day races I have run have been loads of fun and it has put me on the map as a runner but if all goes well I would like to focus on running the Mont Blanc Ultra next year. This is a different style of race to what I am used to…it is a non stop 100 miler through the Mont Blanc mountain range. I see this as a progression from the multi day stage races and the 100-miler scene is a lot more commercial. It will be a huge challenge to be competitive at the Mont Blanc, but I am excited to keep pushing my physical and mental boundaries.

And then in a few years time I would like to end off with a Badwater Ultra or few…. To me this is the ultimate challenge!

Namibia Desert Race pic by Dean Leslie www.wanderingfever.com

4. I talk about solitude a lot. You seem like a guy who understands that. I have never heard you qualify a statement you have made, which is a very rare commodity. Are you someone who runs because it puts you in scenarios of pure solitude, where you may have to question how the hell you are going to make it back home, or do you find the solitude of your sport leaves you craving contact with the “normal” world?

I am someone who enjoys being on my own and in my own headspace. After about four or five hours of running that’s is when I think most clearly. Running long distances is just a state of mind… I love doing what I do and spending 7 hours on the trails is not hard work for me – I see it as play! I break my longer runs down into mini segments focusing on the present and taking in the surrounding environment… time seems to fly by when I am in the “zone” and I don’t have a worry in the world. Endurance events are all about keeping a positive state of mind and having fun out there…

5. I heard that you sleep on the floor, in tents and have to carry your own food. I also heard you don’t have water to wash your kit in and that its very rough at these stage races. Not quite Sani2c vibes where there is decadence on tap, so to speak. Tell us about the unglamorous side of your races. People underestimate how tough your races are, in fact.

Yeah these races are fully self-supporting, the only thing competitors are given is rations of water and we sleep in massive ten man army tents. To be competitive during the race I go as light as possible and therefore take the bare minimum… I take one pair of race kit so things get smelly (I am not a hit with the chix during the race), I don’t brush my teeth and I live on freeze-dried meals, smash and Perpetuem. I also don’t take a sleeping mat to save weight which has backfired a few times…the Fishriver Canyon is quite a rocky place!

6. I also heard there is no prize money. How are you funding trips, training and all the recovery processes?

Multi day stages races are really expensive because of the remote areas they take place in. The average cost of a race entry excluding any flights etc is $3 000 and my Antarctica entry is $10 000..

Most of the races do not have prize money so when I tell people I run 250km with all my food on my back and pay up to $10 000 in race entry fees I get a few strange looks… my answer is cross that finish line and you will know why I do it!!..

So I would not be living my dream without my major sponsors Velocity Sports Lab and Salomon.

Then there is also Oakley, Suunto, Hammer Nutrition, and Imazine – thanks for your support guys!!

And I have just finalised a Red Bull sponsorship – super stoked!!

7. What was your comrades experience all about? Is it a race you could see yourself competing as a contender? I heard you were rumored to be running?

I did not end up running the Comrades this year…. 89km on tar scares the sh..&%..t out of me! My race schedule got to busy and it was a toss up between the Trans Alpine Trail run or Comrades…. Comrade is on my door step so another year.

I think the Comrades is the greatest ultra road race in the world but as road running it is not my focus and I would not be competitive at it I will wait a few years until I attempt it. But I defiantly will be running it at some stage!

Jungle Marathon in the Amazon – pic by Greg Fell www.wanderingfever.com

8. What are the 5 races you would most love to do and why those specifically?

1. The Mont Blanc Ultra – it is 166km up and around the Mont Blanc mountain range and it the ultimate test when it comes to ultra distance mountain running.

2.Racing the Planet Nepal – it is a one off race next year taking place in the Nepal mountain range. I do not think you will get a more beautiful race than that.

3.The Badwater Marathon – 135 miles (217km) non-stop through Death Valley…the road gets so hot that the racers shoes start melting. This race scares me but is one of the things I have to do before I die.

4.The Skyrun – I was injured last year but went up with Salomon to watch the race. I think this race is the ultimate trail / mountain running challenge in South Africa.

5.An Ironman – I have watched Ironman South Africa for the last two years and the race leaves me with goose bumps. Seeing guys like yourself and Greg Goodall smashing the course really inspires me to get out there one day! Unfortunately I will more than likely watch it from the sidelines again next year…. But a Greg (Ed’s note: Greg Goodall is who I would consider to be my primary rival in my age group in South Africa for Ironman. His balance across all 3 disciplines, ability to focus and do the right kind of training and calm demeanor make him the most balanced athlete out there. We have never raced an Ironman head to head but have raced many other races together. He went to Kona in 2009.) vs Raoul showdown could make for some interesting watching??:)

9. In terms of nutrition, I realize you are a Hammer Nutrition prophet. They make fantastic products, but on your long weekend runs (up to 9 hours I read somewhere), what are you eating out there for that amount of time and do you ever run with music?

Yeah I am a huge Hammer fan, especially of a product they make called Perpetuem. I run for up to 12 hours on only Perpetuem and a few Endurolyte tablets here and there. Perpetuem keeps my energy levels constant with no spikes or drops… I mix it into a thick pancake batter and have some about every 20mins washed down with water.

I listen to a bit of music on my runs, but this is more so on my road runs where things can get a bit monotonous. On the trails I like to be able to hear my surroundings like a hissing puff adder I am about to stand on.

10. I am a gear head. I have seen some siiiick gear that you have had going at African X with that snazzy back pack Salomon have developed. What is the testing process like with them for new gear and how custom is the stuff you are using from them? How much do you think the gear affects your training and racing?

Going to France and testing out all the new Salomon gear was awesome. I got to meet the guys who make the gear and you see just how passionate these guys are about making the lightest, fastest and best fitting shoes and gear for the athletes. The Salomon international group is relatively small and everyone is treated like family. They have gone out of their way to make me prototype gear to keep warm in Antarctica and are also making me custom shoes to fit the exact mould of me meet (I have fat feet!).

Endurance trail running is all about comfort while running and looking after your body so that it can recover as quickly as possible. Salomon have gone out of their way to achieve this and so I definitely feel it affects my training and racing in a positive way. A Salomon athlete wins one in every three trail races around the world so they must be doing something right.

That was that.

Ryan was off to run shortly after the interview (seriously) for a 7 hour run in prep for his Trans Alps run. 7 hours??? The guy just gets the work done, which is probably his biggest secret. I would reckon its taken him less time to get to his 10 000 hour mark in this sport than anybody else, which is why he is so ahead of the competition. His training partners are there for his shortest runs only, from what I have been told.

His results are incredible and he is the leader in ultra STAGE marathon races so far in his career, in the world. Someone equated it to walking into the ring as a first time fighter and knocking Ali out in the first round. He is easily comparable to an Armstrong, a Shumacher or a Wellington. He is local, he is lekka and we should be proud of his achievements so far. I do, however, feel that they are just the beginning.

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Ryan Sandes is a guy I highly admire, not only for the way he is able to zone out and run in seriously sketchy situations for days, but he is one of the most economical runners I have ever seen.

There is this new documentary, called Wandering Fever, coming about the lad soon. do NOT be stupid and miss it. The preview should take care of that though. How amazing is this…

For more info on the documentary check out their site here.

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