The Man. The Mission. The Gear to get him there.

Most SA runners, and many international runners, have heard of Ryan Sandes. As part of this blog I hope to profile some the top athletes in the trail running world. What better place to start than with Ryan Sandes. In this interview I ask him some questions I’ve been wondering for a long time, about his goals, motives, main competition, and of course, gear! Here are the answers!

Kolesky/Nikon/Lexar

Quick Profile: Ryan Sandes

-Age: 31

-Height: 178cm

-Weight: 66-69kg

-Years as professional: 2009-present

-Sponsor: Salomon, Red Bull, Velocity, Oakley

-Career highlight: Winning an ultra on every continent

-Min/Med/Maximilist runner (gear): Medium

-Current/best shoe: Salomon S-Lab 6 Custom

-What makes him cool: Stumbled upon his talent and has become a national icon for South Africa

Races:

We have seen you now in various trail running disciplines, from multi-day to single-day ultras. What type of race do you feel is your true strength ?

I really enjoyed every experience I have done. For now I feel like I am done with the multi-stage thing, and want to focus more on 100k to 100mi sort of races, where the competition is more fierce.

With the exception of Lion Heart last year, we haven’t seen you in shorter intense races like the vertical kilometre or Skyrunning. Any chance that kind of race is on your radar screen? Possibly a Skyrunning series one year?

Like I said, at this stage, my main focus is on some of the bigger, famous 100 mile sort of events. I wouldn’t mind trying the Skyrunning series, but to be honest I am more attracted to the warmer, longer races. The European cold, wet races are not too appealing to me at the moment. I’ve done lots of shorter distances here at home in South Africa, but Internationally I am sticking to the longer ones for now.

You had the couple year focus on Racing the Planet. Any plans to explore those again?

For now, no, but in future I wouldn’t mind looking into a Trans-alps or something.

You tend to pick a few races and focus on them, whereas some athletes seem to race every couple of weeks. Does that have to do with where you live, or your preference, or what?

Some guys, like Kilian, who is currently racing slightly shorter distances, are running a lot of races. They run some races as build-ups to others. I think that takes a lot of discipline, to hold back and run a race as a training run. I prefer, with my longer races, to focus on them and make sure I reach the start line in the best shape. I might look at entering a few shorter (50Mile) races as build-ups, but not specifically at this stage.

                                     Leadville 2013. Photo: Ricky Gates

Gear

I noticed that in Leadville it looked like you used pretty simple gear: No Exo shorts or shirt, and just all in all a pretty basic setup. What was the motivating factor for this, and how has your gear choice changed in the last year?

Yeah, I tend to enjoy a more natural clothing choice. I just ran with the new Sense shorts, and a normal T-shirt. I do use the EXO, but mainly in training. It’s just a personal choice, in terms of comfort and style. I do enjoy the Twin Skins and EXO shorts, but with Leadville I just kept it comfortable and simple. A lot of the European guys enjoy the compression gear, especially the Germans.

It looked like you had the new AVD S-lab skin pack on. Is that the one without the built in bladder? How did it feel?

Correct. You can put a bladder in it, but it's made more for holding the soft flasks in the front pockets. It is great, and even an improvement on their last model. This one has pockets that are a bit more accessible, and you can refill the soft flasks a little quicker at aid stations.

You tend to go with standard S-lab shoes instead of the Sense. What’s the reasoning in your shoe choice?

I do use the Sense, but normally for shorter runs. I feel for the long runs I need a bit more cushioning than the Sense has. So I use the S-lab, which is custom made for my foot.

How many shoes are in your rotation during a normal sort of training month?

Maybe not in a month specifically, but I probably have about 15-20 shoes that I use. I vary the model from time to time, but try to do my serious runs in the model that I race in. I do some runs in the Mantra, which is a very cool shoe as well.

Any talk of new gadgets coming soon from the S-Lab?

(Sighing and thinking) Err, they may shoot me if I reveal secrets! But they do have some great new shoes coming out: Some shoes that are designed for City Trail running (http://salomoncitytrail.co.uk/city-trail.html).

I’ve noticed that the calf sleeves were a bit of a craze. Why do we not see many people running in those anymore?

They are not used so much, although I do still use mine from time to time. I think they are used more for recovery, which they are really great for, along with the knee-high recovery-style compression gear.

                        Leadville 2013 Photo: Ricky Gates

Your Inspiration

Which guys on the international trail circuit worry you the most?

There really are so many competitors out there. When I was running with Scott Jurek a few weeks ago, he was talking about how when he ran many years ago on the Ultra trail scene it was a little different, with limited races and only certain distances. There has always been lots of competition, but in those days the distances and variation were limited. Over the last years it's become very competitive over all distances. If I singled someone out I would have to say Timmy Olsen, as he is the main challenge on the course that I am currently focused on, The Western States.

Kilian obviously stands out in the elite as someone who almost seems on another level. How do the guys in the Salomon team view him? I mean, is it accepted that when running with him you are all fighting for second place?

Not really. The vibe is always very friendly. But there is never the feeling that we are lining-up to compete for second. Running with him pushes others to just race harder. But he is a great athlete, and the things he has achieved and done are really amazing.

Training as much as you do, at any point has running become like a job for you, or are you still motivated by the sheer joy of it?

I am still motivated by joy. You go through tough times, like this year and recently with the injuries, but I still love it. The opportunity it has given me to travel and see things has also been incredible. So I wouldn’t change it for the world.

If you could only choose one album to listen to for a 100mile race, what would it be?

One Album? Well, on the Fish River run I only had about 18 songs. I listen to such a variety. I would have to say something like The Kooks, maybe.

When are we going to get to see Wandering Fever, and how will we be able to see it?

Definitely that is in the pipeline. The guys are working on a screening of it very soon, and then its into a process with the Sundance Film Festival. Depending on what happens there will determine what happens to the documentary. We will probably be looking at sometime around March next year for that, obviously depending on the process at the various festivals. We are hoping it will be good, as it has a bit of a story line to it as well as being a documentary. When that is released, it will possibly be screened at certain places, or available online. All of this really depends on what happens to it at the festivals.

You’ve had only about a week or so to think, but any chance you have decided on the next race?

Well, I am running again, after a couple visits to the chiropracter. It turns out that due to a fall I suffered about 10 days before Leadville, a couple of my discs were compressed and one of my legs was about 2cm shorter than the other! But I am getting out a bit, and went for a run on the weekend, so hopefully able to aim for some races soon.
Before the injury I was considering UROC, but that plan has changed. I have a few ideas, and we will see how it goes. Maybe a race in Hong Kong later in the year. Next year my focus is on Western States. I also have plans for a record in the Drakensburg Mountains. So lots of ideas and plans in the pipeline!

Training in light, basic gear.

Note from Caching Runner: The three main focus points of this blog are to profile top international runners, keep focus on the joy and heart of running, and to get down to the nitty gritty of gear! Ryan helps to cover all these bases, and is a great inspiration. A big thank-you from me for his time, and passion for the sport.

The Legend of Kilian

After setting a new record up the Matterhorn this week, as part of his 'Summits of My Life' project, Kilian finished off by winning the Sky Running Ultra World Cup. Just another week for the legend.

I run because I want to

I have this 10km route that is flat, peaceful, beautiful and relaxing. It’s the route I lose myself on. My mind drifts to far places. Sometimes I get to the end and think, ‘Oh, ok, I guess I am done.’ Today, as I found my comfortable, relaxing pace, my mind again started to wander. I started to think about why I do what I do. What is my motivation for running?

Pondering in rhythm with my feet crunching the gravel, I realised a simple fact about my running heroes, people like Scott Jurek, Kilian Journet, Ryan Sandes: They run to run.

Yep. They run to run. In other words, they don’t run because they want to lose weight. They don’t run so that they can escape the office. They don’t run so that they can win races. They run, because of running.

Two of the three athletes I mentioned above have books out. What strikes me about the way these guys describe running is how vital it is to their existence. Read the first page of Kilian’s book ‘Run or Die,’ and you will be out of breath, gasping, desperate for this guy not to stop running, because if he does it seems like he would die on the inside. Scott Jurek, in his book ‘Eat and Run,’ gives such a passionate, holistic account of how he moved up in the ultra marathoning world, that the reader is left with the deep realisation that everything is his life works together to make him an incredible athlete. The title is no less dramatic than Kilian’s. Scott explains how running is just as vital to him as eating.

Passing the halfway point on my own run, I took a gulp of water, and shifted my thoughts away from my heroes to what motivates us to run. For many of us it’s a goal. To lose weight. To increase fitness. To run a PB. These are not bad things, of course, but if we really sit back, we will realise that we run to...(insert your goal on the dotted line).

The heroes of the sport are motivated by something that goes much deeper. Their need to run is deeply ingrained in them. It’s not a chore. It’s not something else on their daily to-do list. Running brings them freedom.

There are stories of Kilian, many hours into a gruelling race, where everyone else has their heads down, desperately putting one foot in front of the other, and he runs along, gazelle-like, brushing the passing grass with his hands and lifting it to his nose to smell, lost in the freedom and joy of the experience. Another story tells of how he stopped mid-race, to wait for his friends to catch up so he could enjoy the sunset with them. He runs because he is in love with what running brings. Freedom. Joy. Peace. Life. This motive, I believe, is what allows him to get stronger as the K’s pass by, while everyone else becomes weaker.

What this challenges me to do is to re-evaluate why I run. It challenges me to put my watch away, to forget my times, to forget what day I am supposed to do speed work, or hill training, and to find the reason I run. I truly believe that if we search our motives, and if we run for the sheer love of running, we will be surprised by how much fun we have, and surprised at how much better we perform.

The surface under my feet changed from gravel to tarmac, reminding me I was almost home. I think tomorrow my watch will stay in the drawer.

Thoughts about Leadville 2013

All week I have wanted to write about Leadville. It all happened last weekend, and some thoughts have been turning over in my head since the race. Lots of interesting things happened, and I have some comments about people, attitudes, and gear.

Firstly, the people.

 My wife and I had our eyes mainly on two people for the win. I was hoping Ryan Sandes would repeat his 2011 win, and being a big Salomon guy and South African, my hopes were on him. My wife, being a Brooks wearer and American, was hoping for Scott Jurek to bag the victory. Both of us were wrong, but not at all let down by our running heros.

Following on FB, we were both sad to hear Ryan pulling out at the halfway point. I’ll admit that part of me thought ‘why doesn’t he just finish the race, even if he is nowhere near the front?’ But then I heard the logic behind it and it all made sense. In the Olympics, athletes are encouraged to give their all, and dropping out is frowned upon as being unsportsmanlike. Most of those races, however, are short and sweet, and the same logic cannot be applied to a 1500 meter race and a 100 mile race. Had Ryan run on and tried to push though, he would certainly have done lasting damage to his back and hip. The conclusion to this is that a 100 mile race is an entirely different animal, and ‘just finishing’ is not always the healthiest thing to do.

We have to respect someone who has trained so hard, had a rough year with injury, and still gives of their all, to the point that injury is inevitable. So, our respect for Ryan remains intact, and we wish him well for whatever he sets his sights on next.

And then there is Scott. We were hoping the veteran would be able to show us how it’s done. He did a great job of holding on and putting in a good race, unfortunately not managing to catch the leaders in the last half. But there is something about Scott that makes a great sports hero. In an age where so many sports have athletes guilty of doping and cheating, and where the person with the best technology and gear has an advantage, we have Scott who seems to have run most of the race just in his shorts and shoes, fueled by vegetables and burritos! Not only that, but Scott is known for staying at the finish line to welcome in the runners who finish later. Once again, despite his lack of a race win, we were not disappointed in the runner.

The Leadville race demonstrates so many things that are great about trail running: the lack of TV coverage (a good thing), the attitude of competitors, the brutality and unpredictability of it, and the gear!

What I think is so interesting about gear in trail running is that much of it is available if you want it, but it’s not essential. There are top level competitors who run a 16 hour race in a pair of shorts, a good pair of shoes, and maybe a hydration vest for a few of the legs. On the other side of the coin, if you love the gear, there is a great selection of equipment that can definitely keep you motivated during a run like Leadville.

All in all, Leadville wasn’t what we thought it would be this year, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t awesome! Once again, it inspired and made me wish I had the time and energy for 100 miles! 

Behind the name

Running is about freedom. When running fails to set us free, we are doing it wrong. As I set out to capture thoughts and ideas with this blog, I am motivated by a lot of media and public assumption that running is simply a sport, or a culture. If running is approached like this, it fails to be understood in its fullness. If we just approach running as a sport, then it becomes about what races we are entering, and what times we have set, and what medals are on our walls. 
If running is a room, then those kinds of things make up one small corner of what's inside. In the middle of the room is freedom. And adventure. Discovery. Joy. Fatigue. Under some of the furniture are things that are hidden, which you can only find when you run. Oh, and there is gear...lots of gear!
The name behind 'Caching runner' is two-fold. Firstly, and more simply, it's about the simple fact that I am a runner and I also spend lots of outdoor time Geocaching, as a way to discover new trails. But the bigger idea behind the 'Caching runner' name is this:
When we truly run for enjoyment, we will embark on a journey. On this journey we will be looking for certain things. Sometimes goals. Sometimes new experiences. Sometimes just a finish line. But in finding those things we are not fulfilled. Rather, we are fulfilled in the very act of searching for them. Just like the sport of Geocaching (www.geocaching.com), where we search for 'treasures' which are usually just worthless plastic things. The treasure isn't the physical thing we find, it's the experience of finding it.