Ryan Sandes

Ryan Sandes, from South Africa, has been on the trail running scene for a long time. In 2011, Ryan won his first 100-mile race in Leadville, Colorado. In 2013, he became the first ever person to win an ultra trail race on all seven continents. In 2017, Ryan won the Western States 100 and in 2018, Ryan and his friend, Ryno Griesel, set a new fastest known time on a section of the Great Himalayan Trail through Nepal. The pair ran for 24 days, 4 hours and 24 minutes, covering 435 kilometres and climbing 63,721m. As if this challenge wasn’t enough, the pair navigated Lesotho in 2022 covering 1,100 kilometres with over 33,000m of elevation gain in 16 days, 16 hours and 56 minutes. Ryan’s passion for ultra running shows no signs of slowing down, and in 2023, he completed UTMB - a long-term dream of his. Ryan’s perseverance is as inspirational as his humility and down-to-earth approach to life.