Patagonian International Marathon
Ryan Sandes - Patagonia to the Drakensberg
Anne-Marie Dunhill / 21.10.2013
One of the advantages of being the only native English-speaking journalist at the finish line in time for the arrival of the first racer on the 63k turned out to be an extensive interview with the winner. Ryan Sandes graciously took the time to discuss his race and his future projects.
He had arrived a week prior to the race to run solo on the different trails in the Torres del Paine national park, saying that running in Patagonia ranked high on his wish list. He was clearly impressed by what he saw as he stated emphatically afterwards that the race ought to be taken off the gravel track and some sections of trail added in, “If you put some routes through those trails you could get a super-stacked international field!”
Ryan went on to describe how “insignificant” he felt running in Patagonia. It is interesting to note that he had used the same word, insignificant, in the 2012 short film by The African Attachment, “The Beauty of the Irrational” that chronicled his record breaking run on the Fish River Canyon Hiking Trail. Almost as if his running talent is so immense that he seeks something in nature to put things in perspective, hence the search for “insignificance” in vast open expanses. (The film has been shortlisted for this years’ BANFF Mountain Film Festival).
Then Ryan’s eyes lit up as he outlined his next project, The Grand Drakensberg Traverse in South Africa. Supported by his sponsor Red Bull he plans to establish another record, running the length of the trail. At a distance of about 230km, it is a route that normally takes hikers two weeks to complete and all peaks are over 3,000m high. He will be joined by the well-known adventure racer from team Cyanosis, Ryno Griesel, and their attempt will be unaided and self-supported.
The month of October will be dedicated to extensive reconnoitering and they will be undertaking the traverse at the end of next March when Ryan estimates they have a two week window in which the light, weather conditions etc. are optimal. The current record is sixty hours.
According to Ryan the longest length of time that he has ever run non-stop has been seventeen hours and although Ryno has an impressive adventure racing background it will be one of his first trails so the two should complement each other well.
Ryan closed the interview by saying that he was attracted to the adventure aspect of the challenge on an iconic South African trail.
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