Ryan Sandes facts for kids

Ryan "Hedgie" Nicholas Sandes (born March 10, 1982, in Cape Town) is a famous South African trail runner. He's known for running really long distances on tough trails. In 2010, he made history by winning all four of the incredibly challenging 4 Deserts races.

About Ryan Sandes

Ryan Sandes grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. When he was younger, he went to South African College Schools (S.A.C.S.). There, he enjoyed playing many sports like cricket, rugby, and water polo. He also studied at the University of Cape Town. Besides running, Ryan loves other outdoor activities like mountain biking, paddling, and surfing.

Ryan's Amazing Running Career

Ryan Sandes started making a name for himself in the world of ultra-running in 2008. He quickly became known for his incredible endurance and speed.

Early Wins and Records

In 2008, Ryan won two big races: the Sahara Race and the Gobi March. These races are part of the 4 Deserts series, which are super tough. In 2009, he came in second in RacingThePlanet Namibia. He then won the Jungle Ultra Marathon in Brazil, setting a new record for that course. In 2010, he also set a record time for the 4Peaks Mountain Challenge in South Africa.

Conquering the 4 Deserts

The year 2010 was a huge one for Ryan. He became the first person ever to win all four of the 4 Deserts races! Each of these races is a 6 or 7-day event where runners cover about 250 kilometers (155 miles). Runners have to carry all their own food and gear, which is called being "self-supported."

The 4 Deserts races take place in some of the world's toughest environments:

• The Atacama Desert in Chile
• The Gobi Desert in China
• The Sahara Desert in Egypt
• And finally, a race in Antarctica

Winning all four was a huge achievement. Mary Gadams, who organizes the event, said that Ryan was "clearly one of the top endurance athletes in the world." At that time, only 81 people had ever finished all four races, and only 11 had done them in the same year. Time magazine even called the 4 Deserts Challenge one of the ten most demanding endurance races in the world.

More Big Race Victories

Ryan continued to win major races around the world:

• In 2011, he won the Leadville Trail 100 in the USA. He finished in 16 hours, 46 minutes, and 54 seconds, which was more than half an hour faster than the second-place runner.
• In 2012, he won the North Face 100 race in Australia.
• Also in August 2012, he broke a record for the 90-kilometer (56-mile) Fish River Canyon hiking trail. He finished it in 6 hours and 57 minutes, much faster than the old record.
• In 2014, he won the Transgrancanaria race, which is part of the Ultra-Trail World Series Tour.
• In 2017, Ryan achieved another huge win by taking first place in the Western States Endurance Run. He completed this famous race in 16 hours, 19 minutes, and 37 seconds.

Team Adventures: Pair Running

Ryan also enjoys running with a partner, setting new "fastest known times" (FKTs) on challenging routes.

Drakensberg Grand Traverse

In 2014, Ryan and his running partner, Ryno Griesel, set an FKT on the Drakensberg Grand Traverse (DGT). This is a very difficult route across the Drakensberg mountains between South Africa and Lesotho. It's about 200 kilometers (124 miles) long and involves climbing 9,000 meters (29,500 feet) of elevation!

Great Himalaya Trail

In 2018, Ryan and Ryno set another amazing FKT. They ran the Great Himalaya Trail (GHT) in Nepal. This incredible journey covered 1,504 kilometers (935 miles) and they finished it in just 24 days, 4 hours, and 24 minutes.

See also

• Cape Town Trail Marathon