Brutal

This year, legendary endurance pair Ryan Sandes and Ryno Griesel took on their most ambitious challenge yet. And almost failed.

- By Mike Finch

1100 KILOMETRES

33000M OF ASCENT

16 DAYS, 6 HOURS, 56 MINUTES

BAGGED ... that was the simple text message from Adrian Saffy, one of the vital support crew on the Navigate Lesotho project. The text - which broadly translates to 'conquered', in mountaineering jargon - came through just after 1 pm on 27 April 2022, some 16 days, 6 hours, and 56 minutes after Ryan Sandes and Ryno Griesel first set off from Telle Bridge Border Post to circumnavigate Lesotho.

The pair, who have 'bagged' other big FKTs (Fastest Known Times) in the past including the Drakensberg Grand Traverse, and a section on the Great Himalaya Trail - overcame adverse weather conditions and navigated extreme boundaries (both physical and mental) to finish this one-off.

This, they both say, was by far their toughest challenge yet.

It's pretty surreal to have circumnavigated Lesotho on foot; it was definitely a lot more challenging than we initially anticipated, Sandes admits. Especially the extreme weather we experienced in the mountain section - ice, snow, and severe cold.

Their adventure took them to the most remote and untouched regions of both the Mountain Kingdom and South Africa, putting their navigation skills, seasoned physical training, and psychological fortitude to the test.

The weather continued its onslaught throughout the following few days, with flooding in the region making the route underfoot wet and soggy.