Desert Running

Target Language or Knowledge:

When South African runner Ryan Sandes showed up for his first race in the 4 Deserts series in 2008, he was not expected to win. The then 27‐year‐old had only been running for three years. He was fit and had won a few South African races, but he was an unknown in the global and competitive world of ultrarunning. In March of 2008, Sandes entered the 4 Deserts Gobi March, a 155‐mile trek in and around the Chinese areas of the Gobi Desert. His surprise victory raised his profile overnight and gave him the incentive to push himself harder. Sandes entered and won another race in the series, the Sahara Race, in the same year. In early 2010, he entered the Atacama Crossing in Chile, his third race in the series. He won once again.