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 |
-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.
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.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment