The Sandman Conquers His Fish River Nemesis

Words by Ryan Sandes | Photos by Kolesky, Nikon & Lexar

Category: 
Africa Travelling

My Fish River Canyon trail run record attempt was a personal quest for me wanting to push my own boundaries, while running in one of the most beautiful but harsh environments on our planet. This pursuit would not have been possible without the help and support of a number of passionate individuals – thanks team, I was not out there alone!

 

 

Just over a week before my planned record attempt to run the five day, 85 km long hiking trail, we drove up to the Fish River Canyon so that I could recce and familiarise myself with the route. Before long, Vanessa, Craig, Tinus and I were deep in this amazing wonder of nature on a two-day scouting trip. This fun little adventure was one of the highlights of my trip in which we covered just over 60 km and had plenty of laughs along the way. Conditions were ideal for a record attempt too – water levels were perfect and daytime temperatures were not too high. After two long days in the canyon we finally reached Ai-Ais and spent the next two days there, relaxing in the hot springs. From there we headed to the Fish River Canyon Ultra race village, where I would be sweeping the first part of the race to the ‘Emergency Exit’ while scouting this part of the trail for my record attempt. This was another very cool adventure and I even got to see a Vesper Scooter in action in the canyon. I soon realised that the first 15 km would be the hardest, as most of the running would be on soft sand and over large boulders. Hiking out left me feeling excited and confident about my record attempt in a few days time, and now that I had pre-hiked the full trail, I was also mentally prepared for the challenge that lay ahead.

 

We were joined at Ai-Ais by the crew from The African Attachment, who were there to capture this momentous occasion and make a short film about it. Then on the day before my attempt, we moved up to Cannon Lodge. All too soon I was standing at the top of Hikers Descent, and about to make it all happen. I had been waiting for this day for over a year, and adrenaline was coursing through my body.

 

Boom! I started my Suunto Ambit, a GPS device, and bolted back down into the canyon. I glanced skywards at the guys filming out of the chopper and both pilots, Jeremy and Philip, had huge smiles on their faces. This got me even more amped and I wanted to give it everything I had.

 

The early morning light gently caressed the canyon, making it seem surreal and one of the best trail running experiences I've ever had. I followed the river, an oasis of life, as it snaked its ways down the middle of the canyon, the terrain made up of white, sandy beaches, huge boulder fields and hard, compact powdery gravel. The first four hours flew by and at times I felt like a character in a computer game, nimbly leaping over rocks and dodging puddles of crystal-clear water. I thoroughly enjoy competing in races, but being out here on my own was very refreshing and I was loving every moment of it.

 

 

As I entered the second half of the canyon, it started to open up a lot more. The temperature had risen quite substantially and my legs were starting to tire a little. Luckily the terrain was more runnable and I maintained a steady pace. I looked at my watch occasionally, but as the attempt was more about the experience than running a specific time I had no real time strategy and wasn't too concerned about the passage of time. That said, and with about 14km to go, when the chopper landed to film me swimming across one of the river crossings, Jeremy said he thought I could run the trail in under seven hours. I did a few calculations in my head, shifted into competitive mode and focused on a sub seven hours. I counted down the kilometres and was very relieved to see the pipeline that ran along the final 2 km of the trail. After 18 months of planning and one failed attempt due to flooding, I was about to achieve my dream of running the Fish River Canyon trail! Up ahead of me I could see a massive troop of baboons blocking the trail, and I had visions of them attacking me for my Red Bull e-shot (a tasty energy shot) and Hammer Perpetuem (endurance fuel for long distances). Luckily this was not to be and they scattered as I approached.

 

As I entered the last stretch I could see a small group of locals and Ai-Ais guests, who had gathered to welcome me at the finish. Bolstered by their cheers and shouts of encouragement, I ran up the final few steps and was elated to have finally run the Fish River Canyon trail. I stopped my watch on 06:57 and saluted my nemesis, the canyon. It would be foolish to say I had conquered her, as I have realised from past experiences that she is far greater than I or any human will ever be. I have a very healthy respect for the enormity of this canyon, and this run was about paying my respects to her.

 

Thanks to my fantastic sponsors and support team for helping to make this dream a reality; Vanessa for planning the attempt; Tinus and Russel from AEP in Namibia for organising the logistics; Craig, Greg, Dean and Dale for capturing the experience; and last but not least Phillip and Jeremy for their insane flying of the chopper. Heartfelt thanks also go to everyone who supported and encouraged me along the way. You all rock!

 

dinFO:

'The Beauty of the Irrational' is a short film that delves into Ryan’s psyche, and takes a close look at how he smashed The Fish River Canyon trail run record set in 2003 by just short of four hours. The record was 10 hours and
54 minutes. Ryan ran it 6 hours and 57 minutes.

 

Have a look at: http://www.2oceansvibe.com/2012/08/13/ryan-sandes-eclipses-fish-river-ca...

 

Related articles:

New Trail Run a Must (dinDIGITAL, August 2012)
Step into Spring (p. 68, June/July Issue #18)
Trail Running Safety (p. 70, June/July Issue #18)