Ryan Sandes - Made in Africa

"We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves...The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable."
-Sir Roger Bannister, first runner to run a sub-4 minute mile

When I say boxing, you think Mohammed Ali; when I say cycling, you think Lance Amstrong; when you say Ultra Marathon runner........I think, Ryan Sandes. For a long time I have been following runners such as Dean Karnazes and Anton Krupicka and were amazed by their running abilities. Always pushing the limit to go faster and longer than anyone out there, and staying humble along the way and letting their actions speak louder than words.

I went online one day looking for South African ultra runners and found a teaser video for a running documentary called Wandering Fever. This was the first time I heard of Ryan Sandes.

In 2008 Ryan competed in the Gobi Desert Marathon, one of the 4Desert races, and surprised the running world by winning every single stage in his first ever Ultra Marathon. The 4Deserts include the Gobi Desert, Atacama Crossing, The Sahara Race and the Last Desert in Antartica. Earlier in the year Ryan smashed the record for the the Atacama Crossing in Chile and showed his class in one of the toughest races on the planet. On the 24th November 2010, Ryan became the first person in history to win all four races in the 4Deserts series. Another South African Legend is born!

As an average Joe runner, I look up at people like Ryan and they are my source of inspiration, and hopefully through my fundraising runs for autism awareness, I can also inspire people to do the same. You dont have to be a Lance Armstrong or Mohammed Ali to bring change and hope to this world, all you need to do is believe in yourself and lead by example.

The core of mans' spirit comes from new experience......

You can read more about Ryan and follow his great adventures on his blog: http://www.ryansandes.com/run/