Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 104, March 2018 | Page 23

navigation and water sterilising
equipment.”
Ryno: “We will make time! This
adventure is definitely not just about a
record, but rather experiencing a life-
changing adventure with a friend!”
MA: How often do you plan to
update followers on social media?
Ryan: “Obviously we’ll be attempting
Ryan: “We’ll have live tracking
to set a FKT, but at the same time, we’ll
be slow-moving and able to take it all
in. We’ll be out there for a while, so I
plan to enjoy it as much as possible.”
and will try to do as many updates as
possible along the way, hopefully daily,
or at least every second or third day.
Red Bull will be filming the project, so
we want to make it as interactive as
possible, so that people can live and
experience the adventure with us.”
MA: Are you guys mentally and
physically prepared to chase an
average around 50km a day?
Ryan: “This is going to be, by far,
the greatest challenge of my life. There are so many
unknowns we are going to have to deal with along the
way, but that I guess is what intrigues me most about
the challenge. I’ve focused on strength training, and
I’ve done lots of slower power hiking, because we’ll
be carrying heavy backpacks, and I’ve even done
some training with my son Max on my back, to get
used to carrying a load. Running wise, I’ve done some
long hours, but not massive distance. The way I look
at it, I’ve been training for this for the past ten years
or so…
Ryno: “It is very difficult to say if we are fully
prepared for a challenge of this scale, as neither of us
has ever attempted anything remotely on this level,
and I am nervously aware that we simply cannot
prepare for everything. But I am extremely excited and
humbled by the opportunity to share the Himalaya
with Ryan in such a cool adventure, and we will rely
on the foundation of our friendship built from previous
‘epics’ to find solutions on-the-go and carry each
other through.
MA: And what about preparing to run at that
altitude?
Ryno: “We both have experience of running and
climbing at higher altitudes, but we will take on the
challenge very conservatively to give our bodies the
best possible chance to adapt to the higher altitude.
The highest point we will visit will be Jungben La Pass
at 5550m in the higher Dolpha region. Our current
route includes crossing seven passes over 5000m and
a significant amount of running above 4000m. We will
spend a couple of days in Lesotho at 3000m before
we head out, and will have five days at higher altitude
in Nepal before we start.”
MA: Did Andrew include rest days in his FKT, and
will you include rest days?
Ryan: “Yes, he did include a rest day in his FKT.
We’re just going to play it by ear and take it one
day at a time, see how it goes, because it’s such an
enormous project.”
Ryno: “Some days we will cover more distance
than others (based on how we feel, weather, altitude
gain etc. We will listen to our bodies and make calls
daily based on the bigger picture of a long project,
and if need be, rather rest.”
MA: What kind of support will you have
during the challenge? Will you have any form of
seconding crew?
Ryno: “Our Nepalese logistics company,
Himalayan Trails, will meet up with us en-route
about five times to provide permits and give us the
opportunity to exchange pre-packed footwear and
clothing. Otherwise we will carry running packs with
backup clothing, trekking poles, phones, camera,
MA: A record attempt like this will
obviously take a fair time to recover from, so will
you put racing on hold for a few months?
Ryno: “My plan is to return to adventure racing
after GHT, which will include other disciplines like
cycling and paddling to give the running legs a bit of
a rest.”
Ryan: “I’m going to play it by ear. I’m currently
scheduled to run the 73km Transvulcania in May,
which I guess will be a bit risky... I’m either going to
be really smoked from the GHT project, or I might
still have some altitude in me, which will make me
stronger. Then I have the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc on 1
September. That’s the one race that I really want to
have a good go at, so I’ve got a bit of time to recover
and plan for that. It’s so hard to gauge, though. A lot
of people say that an attempt like this, and being at
high altitude for so many consecutive days, will make
you really strong, which I agree with, but it could also
completely break you down. I guess I’ll only know
after the attempt.”
FOLLOW RYAN AND RYNO’S GHT
CHALLENGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
@Ryan.Nicholas.Sandes & @ryno.griesel.7
@RyanSandes & @Ryno_Griesel
@RyanSandes & @Ryno_Griesel
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