SA men set fastest-known time on Himalayan Trail

LIFE-threatening chest spasms and frostbite did not stop South African trail runners Ryan Sandes and Ryno Griesel from setting a new fastest-known time along the 1 406km Great Himalayan Trail on Sunday.

The team‚ which set out on March 1‚ were four days faster than fellow South African Andrew Porter’s 28-day record when they finished early on Sunday – after running the equivalent of an ultramarathon every day at high altitude over 24 days‚ 14 hours and 47 minutes.

Porter – another outstanding South African trailrunner who holds the solo record for the 220km Drakensberg Grand Traverse – did the Great Himalayan Trail on his own.

Yesterday‚ the team made the risky decision to keep running into the night after Griesel had rested for a few hours at a village tea house‚ recovering from chest spasms‚ hyperventilation and a temperature.

Of their death-defying determination‚ filmmaker Dean Leslie said: “When Ryan and Ryno started the Great Himalaya Trail they knew it would be physically tough. But no one ever thought it would be life-threatening.”

Sandes said of his partner: “He had a high heart rate and a fever. I literally thought he was going to drop dead on the trail‚ but he kept going.”

“My body just didn’t want to move‚” Griesel‚ an experienced mountaineer who knows the dangers of altitude, said.

Despite this he set off at 9pm with Sandes‚ running 40km to the next town‚ Patan‚ and catnapping along the trail.

The two ran through remote regions such as Dolpa and crossed tourist areas like Annapurna and Manaslu on their traverse.

“I’ve really enjoyed the contrast‚” Sandes said. “We get to enjoy some big iconic mountains of Nepal and more remote areas‚ but then also the farming‚ [and the] touristy areas – all on foot.”

The duo are expected to arrive in Cape Town today.

Porter said on Friday his traverse and the one completed by Sandes and Griesel could not be compared.

In an open letter titled “Why you will not be beating me and anyone else”‚ Porter objected to the support crew trying to give them a remote resupply by helicopter‚ an effort which failed.

“The whole idea of the Grand Himalayan Trail is to be in remote mountains and to raise your own game to match that of the environment around you‚” he said.

“The cost of that single helicopter flight probably equalled the entire cost of my Grand Himalayan Trail effort.

“The sheer cost of your trip has ensured that there is no way to possibly compare your effort to mine. Or anyone else[’s]‚” Porter said. He nevertheless wished them luck for the last few kilometres.

Leslie said the runners had no support crew. “The helicopter is not for them, it is just for the film crew to get them around and to the high mountain shots.

“They tried once to get antibiotics to Ryno but didn’t find them, though.”