There wasn’t a hint of exhaustion on Ryan Sandes’ face during a recent CNN interview with the decorated ultra-athlete in his Cape Town home. You’d never guess he had recently returned from an epic 16-day run along the mostly uncharted mountains of Lesotho’s borders — until he took off his shoes.
For runners, blisters and cracked feet are par for the course; they’re practically a source of pride for Sandes and his running partner Ryno Griesel, who together created and subsequently completed Navigate Lesotho on April 27. They covered 1,100 kilometers (684 miles) with over 33,000 meters of elevation gain in 16 days, 16 hours and 56 minutes — all under extreme weather conditions.
Ryan Sandes (left) and Ryno Griesel (right) during a leg of their Navigate Lesotho run.
“In some ways it was our toughest challenge, but because of what we’ve learned in the past, I think our maturity and just the bond we have, made it a lot easier,” Sandes told CNN.
The South African duo are no strangers to extreme adventures. Together, they hold the record for fastest known time (FKT) on one of the toughest routes in the world — the Great Himalaya Trail in Nepal, where they covered 1,504 kilometers (934.5 miles) in 25 says. They also hold the FKT on their home country’s renowned Drakensberg Grand Traverse, breaking the previous record by 18 hours.
Even during Covid-19 lockdowns in South Africa, Sandes managed to get in an unofficial 100-mile ultramarathon — around his house — which he finished in 26 hours.
“He had done about 140 kilometers (87 miles) and he was like, ‘I cannot go any further, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done,'” Sandes’ wife Vanessa Haywood recounts of the one-man race.
But circumnavigating Africa’s “Mountain Kingdom” would prove to be even more grueling.
Photos: These are some of the most extreme foot races on Earth
Peru: The Half Marathon des Sables race through the Ica Desert in Peru also pits athletes against extreme conditions. Despite being called a half marathon, the distance is actually up to 120 kilometers (75 miles), split into multiple stages across the desert landscape.
Hide Caption
7 of 12
Photos: These are some of the most extreme foot races on Earth
The Alps: The annual mountainous ultramarathon of the Ultra-Trail of Mont-Blanc covers 170 kilometers (106 miles) in the Alps across France, Italy and Switzerland. Runners, such as this competitor in the 2018 iteration, face a variety of challenging conditions from snow and wind to the darkness of night, all while making several passes through high altitude.
Hide Caption
8 of 12
Photos: These are some of the most extreme foot races on Earth
Oman: The Ultra-Trail of Mont-Blanc also has an Oman event, featuring “the majestic heights of Oman’s mountainous interior.” Swiss runner Diego Pazos (pictured) finished second in the 137-kilometer (85 miles) marathon’s inaugural event in 2018.
Hide Caption
9 of 12
Photos: These are some of the most extreme foot races on Earth
The Amazon: Dense jungle is not exactly primed for a foot race, but that hasn’t stopped runners from traversing the Amazon in Brazil’s Jungle Marathon. Here, an endurance athlete competes in 2013, when the race covered 245 kilometers (152 miles) in seven days.
Hide Caption
10 of 12
Photos: These are some of the most extreme foot races on Earth
The Amazon: The terrain of the jungle also calls for the occasional water crossing. Pictured: Great Britain’s Amy Gasson swims across a river during the ultramarathon in 2014.
Hide Caption
11 of 12
Photos: These are some of the most extreme foot races on Earth
La Reunion island: More dense forest awaits runners (such as this competitor in 2019) in the Grand Raid de la Reunion ultramarathon race, on the island of La Reunion in the Indian Ocean.
Hide Caption
12 of 12
Photos: These are some of the most extreme foot races on Earth
South African endurance athletes Ryan Sandes and Ryno Griesel are no strangers to running across challenging terrain. The duo recently ran the entire border of Lesotho (pictured) in 16 days.