Some people call him a freak of nature, some people call him a running God – I call him “hedgy – the surf rat.” That’s who Ryan Sandes was just a few years ago. He was part of this group of kids younger than us, who used to punk around Llandudno beach. That was, quite literally, ALL they did. They surfed and chilled.

And caused kak 😉

They were and are a great bunch of guys who used to sit in their little fort they built at the top of Llandudno beach and they’d hose themselves every time another tourist made the mistake of falling into their hidden ditches they would make in the sand – cleverly covered up with branches and palm leaves. They’d film it too! It was pretty damn funny, I must admit.

“Hedgy,” a nickname which must have been the result of his wild spiky hair didn’t have TOO much direction. But, at the same time, they were young – who gives a fuck?

Three years ago he decided to do the Knysna Marathon – mainly because he wanted to get up to Knysna and get smashed with his mates. There were no entries left for the half marathon so he entered the full marathon. He finished that fairly easily and realised that he quite enjoyed it. Mabe a bit too much?

[Image by Nick Muzik Photography]

It wasn’t long after that he realised that he had a very rare gift/gene – which allows him to run further and faster than virtually anyone in the world. And I’m not talking about the odd marathon here and there, I’m talking about hard-core 250km footraces across deserts. It’s self-sustained running and you have to carry your food and drink with you as you run. It’s up to you how much weight you want to carry. You know the cross-country races you used to do at school? Ja, it’s nothing like that.

So he went and won the Gobi Desert Race in 2008. Then he cleaned The Sahara Desert Race. That’s when he got the nickname, “Desert King.”

Okes weren’t quite sure. Where did this guy come from? Out of the blue? What do you mean “Llandudno?” Do they train robots at “Llandudno?”

Ryan rested for a little bit, ate another bowl of Pro Nutro and came second in the Namibia 2009. A seven-day, six-stage, 250-kilometer footrace across southern Namibia. Then he won the Hansa Hout Bay Trail Challenge.

Not that we need to dwell on that, Ryan has just (in the last week) won one of the most RADICAL races in the world, “The Jungle Marathon.” It’s a 200km race through the Amazon Jungle. Sometimes you’re avoiding snakes and Jaguars, and at other times you’re chest deep in mud – pretty gnarly!

In other words, you and I would die on the first day – FACT.

Ryan Sandes is “The King of The Jungle”
You can call him Tarzan from now on.
Seriously, he doesn’t mind..

Enjoy the daily blow-by-blow account of what he endured on his blog. Did I tell you that Hedgy is particularly amusing? Quietly enjoy this from his last bog entry before winning :

“We started off with another water crossing of 200m and then straight into the jungle for 46km. The jungle is an awesome place but I am sick of running through it now and wanted to get the Faaak out of there. Two twisted ankles and black and blue toes from kicking roots – that is enough for me… oh and some hornet bites. I got bitten by one in the back of the head today…it felt like I had been blow darted by some man eating pigmy tribe.”

Ryan – quietly cruising through the Amazon..
[source: trailrunning.co.za]

Ryan Sandes wins the Amazon Jungle Marathon
on Saturday in 26 hours and 33 minutes,
taking the course record for the fastest time.
[source:runners world]

Quality. Pure quality.

Well done, Hedgy – you make us proud, bru – keep it up!

Check out Ryan’s website here and go to bed with the knowledge that the world’s greatest hard-core endurance runner comes from Cape Town.
[thanks alistair]