Two South Africans set world's fastest known time on the Great Himalaya Trail
- A pair of South African adventurers set off on an epic journey spanning 1504 km on foot
- The were on a quest to beat the fastest known time for the Great Himalaya Trail
- The race was so much more and proved to be a life changing experience for the two intrepid explorers
Ryan Sandes and Ryno Griesel completed a gruelling 1504 km race across the Himalayas in a record time of 25 days 4 hours and 24 minutes.
The two South Africans ran the Great Himalaya Trail, a series of trails in various districts of Nepal stretching from east to west, or vice versa, of the country.
Briefly.co.za learned that Ryan and Ryno traversed between the upper and middle routes to link up the 12 required checkpoints, all the while self-navigating the best route according to goodthingsguy.com.
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They set out with the intention of breaking the fastest known time and turned into so much more for the South Africans.
“This has been the biggest adventure of my life, but incredibly challenging at the same time, especially mentally to just keep going day in and day out for so long,” exclaimed Sandes at the final checkpoint.
The pair experienced some extreme weather which was unusual for this time of year and suffered frost-bitten fingers, serious tummy bugs, breathing difficulties and some near-death experiences.
On the journey, the pair often knocked on the doors of unsuspecting locals who welcomed them into their homes displaying amazing hospitality embodying the spirit of Namaste.
On the final leg of the journey, the pair travelled night and day to cover the last 300 km, taking short 10-20 minute naps along the trail.
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The two adventurers will return to South Africa on the 27th of March. Ryno will return to his job as an accountant while Ryan will rest a bit before spending the rest of 2018 racing including the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc in Chamonix this August.
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Source: Briefly News
