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They’ve estimated the trip at 1400km, with over 70,000 height meters gained and lost. The current FKT? 28d 13h 56m – set by fellow South African Andrew Porter in October 2016. It’s an obscure, difficult and unique challenge – one that Ryan and Ryno are among the best-suited in the world to take on. The adventure is not only an immense physical challenge, but also a logistical one – they’ve probably already spent more time planning and researching than they will running. Planning and researching were big part of Ryan and Ryno’s preparation for the epic run. (©Dean Leslie, Red Bull Content Pool) The route has 12 checkpoints including start and finish. And guess what? There’s no easing into it. “The highest point will be just over 5500m,” says Ryan, “and that comes pretty early on in the Jumla region. Towards the end we’ll drop into the jungles where it will get quite warm and quite muggy, with plenty of leeches!” The speed at which they travel will largely depend on the terrain and of course, the weather. “I’ve never done anything like this with so much mileage on so many consecutive days.” So how big are those days? “We're hoping to average been 55–65 km per day.” They’ll be somewhat unsupported – crews will place drop bags along the way at planned intervals with fresh clothes, energy bars, and other equipment like fresh shoes, socks, and replacement items like sunglasses and back-up backpacks and trekking poles – but they’ll spend most of their nights in local teahouses, eating local food. All in all, Ryan and Ryno will each have about 8kg on their back including 1.5 liters of water and a few food bars – light enough to move fast, heavy enough to make a difference. All of this was serious enough that Ryan decided to make some serious adjustments in his training. What did that mean? Get ready for this – less running. Final preparations and logistics. (©Dean Leslie, Red Bull Content Pool) “I spent a lot of time hiking – often with a decent load on my back, like my son Max,” says Ryan. “The goal was to really get used to spending a lot of consecutive time on my feet.” He also augmented that with plenty of strength training and alternative workouts – the nature of the adventure will require well-rounded fitness and strength to stay healthy, instead of pure speed. Some of the toughest bits will be the ups and down – as previously mentioned, 70,000 height meters of them, including some pretty big climbs – 2,000 in one single push – and one massive 4,000m descent in a single straight shot – enough to turn any trail runner’s legs to jelly. Will they survive? Will they finish? Good luck, Ryan, from everyone at Suunto! All images © Dean Leslie // Red Bull Content Pool

When I think back to my first introduction to the mountains, I remember watching our mountain guide and wondering how he was so confident to lead all of us clients. Then I learned how he had grown up in the Alps and learned from various experienced mountain guides, and from his own experiences. Several years later, when I started immersing myself in the mountains I reflected on his mountain education and understood its merits.   In those early days, my excitement would easily overcome my knowledge and I knew I had to learn some mountain sense, otherwise I would not last long. Luckily for me, there were many courses available, and I jumped into these with enthusiasm.   Greg Hill sharing his mountain knowledge.   I took my Canadian avalanche course, a 7-day intensive, that sorrowfully ended in us being part of a rescue. A sad day that re-affirmed my need for more knowledge. This near miss taught me so much and made me vow to learn as much as I could. To keep myself safe as well as those I skied with.   I searched out ways that I could spend time with more experienced people. Sponging up their thoughts and skills as best I could. I can honestly say that “always ski from the top” told to me in a Swiss accent has saved my life countless times… plus many other tricks and techniques for traveling through hazardous mountain terrain. This knowledge and its value became very clear a few weeks after learning it.   I was out skiing solo in the mountains near Whistler. I had worked my way up and safely into the alpine and all seemed stable. As I neared the summit I was fatigued and ready to head down. I was still about 100 m below the summit but from where I was I could edge my way out and onto the face and head back to the car. Doing this would mean I was undercutting the top 100 m pitch but stability had looked good. As I wondered about this action, his wise words echoed in my head. Realizing what I was about to do, I toured up to the summit of Vantage peak. Easing onto the summit face I felt better knowing there was no snow hanging perilously above me. The second turn in I triggered the whole slope and watched a class 3 avalanche thunder to the valley floor. Looking down below my skis I realized how close I had come to having cut below this slope and had it drag me to the valley below.   "Somehow, somewhere I gathered enough wisdom from others, and as much knowledge from the mountains to be in a position where I am now a mentor," says Greg Hill.   Each of us learns differently and looks at the world in our own unique way, so my mentorship process had to have several aspects to it. It had to involve many different mentors so that I could create my own mountain sense. It also seemed that time spent taking the skills and I had learned and testing them in the mountains was as worthwhile. That the mountains could be as much of a mentor as the guides I was learning from. Without those words of advice from experienced people, I could not have gone out and learned even more from the mountains.   Once my base was solid enough, I spent as much time out and touring around as possible. Watchful and listening; the mountains taught me a lot. Being self-critical I tried to always analyze my actions and see if they were the appropriate ones. Even if nothing went wrong, I would constantly question my skin tracks, and wonder if my actions were the right ones. Mountains often give you false positives, where you think you did the right thing, but really you just got lucky. By examining my actions and discussing with my friends the education continued.     Many years later and I find myself on the other end of the stick. Somehow, somewhere I gathered enough wisdom from others, and as much knowledge from the mountains to be in a position where I am now a mentor. Not that my own learning is over, it never will be, but I have enough tricks and techniques that I can pass this on to others. Ideally giving them the tricks that keep them from making mistakes in the mountains.   All images ©Bruno Long Photography / Suunto Watch Greg Hill’s 7 terrain tricks video

Records are made to be broken, and over the past few years, Aconcagua has seen quite a few of them. At 6,691 m, it’s the highest point in both the western and southern hemispheres but offers a (relatively) non-technical route to the summit – meaning it’s a favorite of trail runners who like to pack light and move fast. First, Kilian Jornet set a round-trip record in December of 2014, Swiss-Ecuadorian Karl Egloff followed just two months later cutting an hour off Kilian’s time. In 2016, Brazilian Fernanda Maciel put up a new women’s record, and now, at 20 hours and 17 minutes, we’re happy to announce the new record holder: 26-year-old Dani Sandoval from Quito, Ecuador. The young talent from South America has burst onto the scene – while ultrarunning typically takes years of training, she's ascended to elite level quickly, taking first place over 80 km at the La Misíon race in Argentina in 2016. She won two more 80 km ultras in South and Central America. But eventually, altitude called to her – and we shouldn’t be surprised – her parents were both enthusiastic mountaineers. We called her up to find out how she went from going ultra-far to ultra-high. When, precisely, was the moment you decided to do this? It was more than a year ago when Nicolás Miranda, a fellow athlete, and I went to our first peak, Cayembe, at 5,790m. There Nico noted my body responded to altitude in a different way than most athletes. It was right then when he suggested I should try to break Aconcagua’s FKT. How did you feel the moment you started? Mixed emotions. At the moment, the greatest was fear. Fear of failing, but the mountain was perfect, full moon, no wind, and clear skies. Suddenly fear became hope and I simply enjoyed each stage of what was the best experience of my life. What was the most challenging part in your training? Spending full days in the mountains, weekends at high altitudes at the end of the year, precisely during Christmas and New Year’s Eve, which are days I spend with my family. But for this project I had to say no to spending time with family, so I could train and work towards being ready for January! Does your job as a physio help your training? Yes, it really is an advantage. During my training in Aconcagua I suffered a second-degree sprain. I was able to recover in only 2 days and be ready for the record. I was scared, I thought the sprint would be an obstacle; but thanks to my knowledge I was able to fully recover. You’ve done some incredibly hard races – was this harder? Actually, it was the result of my three 80k races. The time I spent in La Misión was about approximately 20 hours, the technical difficulty of Petzl Trail Plus at Banos, Ecuador, and cold from Patagonia 80k at Torres del Paine. These three races made the Aconcagua for me. Do you think you can better your own record more in the future? It was a big gap, but I didn’t have many recovery days between the first and the second try; so I felt my body wasn’t at 100%. I think I might be able to break my own record, but I also believe those 10h17m are for me perseverance, and fight to achieve something I dreamed despite two previous failures. The hardest part of the run? The last 400 m. I felt I had no air, tiredness made me feel dizzy, when I knew I was about to finish my body started to respond extremely slow. I had to sit down and take deep breaths to get strength to continue. What was the most enjoyable, comfortable, peaceful moment during that run? The most enjoyable time was when I happened to be in the same spot where days before we had winds of 75 km/h. It just as I was getting to Colera, one of the camps. Whereas days before I suffered pain and difficulty, this time when I arrived the sun was rising, warming me, and the scenery was amazing. The mountain was offering the best weather, and it was there I felt I could make it. What’s up next? More mountains, or more ultras? Both! I want to keep my projects and be able to make a 170k. I will prepare for one ultramarathon per year. For instance, in 2018 I want to make my first 100k, then go for 120k and eventually 170k. I also want to do speed climbing in Ecuador in order to gain experience and, why not, try mountains outside of Ecuador. In my mind I have the goal of reaching 8000 meters. All step by step so I arrive at each goal with great joy! Images by Matthieu Perrault

Now is the time to celebrate both the suffering and the flying. Welcome to the third annual Vertical Week!     Vertical Week 2018 starts on Monday, February 26 and ends on Sunday, March 4. Put on your running shoes, hop on your bike or release your heels and start skinning up the hill. Track your adventures with your Suunto watch, sync with Suunto App, and by the end of the week we’ll know which country climbs the most in a week.   Every move counts!     Share your Vertical Week experiences on Instagram or Facebook with #VerticalWeek. Three of the most inspiring posts will win Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR Baro watches. Terms and conditions apply. Read them here.      

Over at Suunto, we make our products to stand the test of time – but even we can’t demonstrate that as well as Walter Hassler, from Tirol, Austria. The retiree has taken his Suunto X6 on every single bike, ski tour, and hike since he got it thirteen years ago – and it’s still ticking, all the way up to two million height meters (now, more.) We stopped by for a visit to see what we could learn about him – and his thirst for adventure. As a young man my goal was getting faster and faster Now I am just happy to keep doing what I am doing. I grew up with nine siblings in the beautiful valley of Zillertal. Sports has always been important for us – I played soccer, biked, went swimming or skiing with my brothers and sisters. Now it’s mostly mountain biking and ski touring. On good days I am still able to achieve the same results (time) as 13 years ago when I first got my Suunto watch. 12 ski/bike tours a month are the minimum If the weather is nice I sometimes do up to 15 tours a month in summer.I don’t get on my bike (or my skis) for less than 1,000 height meters This is how I end up doing between 15,000 and 20,000 height meters a month on average. Whenever I am on my bike I am clocking between 2.5-3 hours minimum. The longest tours I am doing are up to 6 hours though. Of course I feel bad for my wife, leaving her alone for a couple hours every other day! On October 24th, 2009 I put 1 million height meters on to my Suunto When I downloaded the data 4 days later I already had 1,007,000 height meters on it. I wanted to put 2 million height meters on, and then stop – at least that´s what I said. When I downloaded the data it was already 2,007,000 height meters, so I just have to keep going, I guess. 2 million height meters are actually 2,000 kilometers That´s just crazy, isn´t it? It took me only 5 years to do my first million height meters, so maybe if stay healthy I can get up to three million. Bad weather has never been an excuse for me On one tour I was looking at my cell phone, then lightening struck so close to me that it actually knocked the phone out of my hand.I mostly exercise by myself Because I love getting on my bike right in front of my house. Waiting around for others to finish work, lunch or just better conditions isn´t for me. If I do go with a buddy, they usually are 20-30 years younger than me so they can keep up.I just turned 70 But I think I´ll still be on my bike 20 years from now.

Key components to improve your fitness are frequency, duration and intensity. Frequency and duration are easy to understand, but training intensity is a bit more tricky. How hard is hard? And why should I care? Read on to learn about intensity zones and about defining them.  That Janne Kallio works at Suunto on new product and solution concepts shouldn’t surprise anyone – after all, triathlon is his passion. Neither are we surprised that his book (Treenaa tehokkaasti, currently only available in Finnish) can help you learn to how to use technology to improve your endurance results. But the most surprising thing? Using training zones is easy. “Training does not need to be complicated,” says Kallio. “The key aspect of reaching progress in one’s fitness is the ability to increase the physical load over longer period of time. Research shows that for people who are only starting to train, the easiest way to progress is to simply add one more training session in the week. Running three times a week versus two will improve fitness.” But after a certain limit, simply running more is not enough. “Running speed increases quite linearly on all distances up to about 60–70 km per week. After that the correlation isn’t as strong. When training more than 100 km a week your running speed does not necessarily get any faster.” What Kallio is explaining is that adding volume to your training only helps up to a certain point. After that getting faster requires focus on other things, like the correct distribution of training intensity. “Quite common training model is the so called polarized model where a big chunk, i.e. 80 % of training, is done aerobically, and a small portion of training with high-intensity. In order to follow this type of model one needs to be aware of one’s intensity levels.” But what does intensity actually mean? Training on different intensities stresses your body in different ways and leads to different kind of physiological adaptation. During light or moderate efforts the energy is supplied by the oxidative system, burning fat and carbs, and your blood lactate levels remain the same as at rest (0,8–1,5 mmol/L). As the intensity increases, lactic acid starts to build in your muscles. Your body is still able to flush it out but the lactate levels rise above your resting levels. In training terminology this is your aerobic threshold (usually marked at 1,5–2,0 mmol/L). If the intensity of the exercise intensifies even further, at some point your cardiovascular system can’t supply your muscles with enough oxygen, and lactic acid starts to build in your muscles faster than it can be removed. This point is called your anaerobic threshold (usually at around 4,0 mmol/L). Based on these values, five zones are defined. Zones 1 and 2 are below aerobic threshold. Zones 3 and 4 between aerobic and anaerobic thresholds. Zone 5 is above your aerobic threshold. (Some of the zone-based models split zone 5 to fit dedicated sprint / explosive training into this intensity.) Zone 1 is for recovery and warm-ups/cool-downs, zone 2 for long endurance sessions, zone 3 for tempo work, zone 4 for high-intensity intervals and zone 5 for maximal, VO2 max efforts. The intensity zones are commonly defined based on heart rate, running pace or cycling power. Depending of the personal preference, type of training and equipment available one can use any of these models in their training.   How to define your personal heart rate zones? It is important to know your zones to be able to follow a training plan and to keep structure in your training. “Without this knowledge easy runs often become too hard and hard ones are not hard enough. Zones help you understand and commit to what you are supposed to do,” Janne Kallio says. There are basically three ways to define your heart rate zones: an estimate based on your max heart rate, a field test and a lab test. Says Janne: “Statistically an estimate based on your max heart rate is valid, but as we know, individual differences are large especially in anaerobic threshold. The first challenge is the estimation of maximum heart rate and then the percentage of this to set the right level for anaerobic threshold. The percentage is an estimation as well.” “The estimation of maximal heart rate is a good starting point. After some really hard workouts it’s definitely good to update your maximum heart rate based on personal experience. But for a goal oriented athlete, more accurate values are needed.” The best way to get to know your personal HR zones is to take a VO2 max test with blood lactate analyses at a lab. But that is not necessary for every athlete. You can get a good idea of your personal intensity zones with a fairly straight-forward field test: After a good warm-up, run a 30-minute, race-pace effort. 10 minutes into the test hit the lap button on your Suunto. After the test use the average heart rate of the 20-minute lap as your anaerobic threshold. Run hard the entire half an hour, but don’t start out too hard. After doing this test a few times you will learn to pace it better. “After you have got your anaerobic threshold, it is time to make some calculations. There is some published research done on where the aerobic level fits based on anaerobic threshold,” says Janne. “It’s good to understand that an accurate anaerobic threshold is the basis of good zone distribution.” Zone 5: Above your anaerobic threshold. Zone 5 ends at your max heart rateZone 4: 94–99 % of your anaerobic threshold. The upper limit of zone 4 is your anaerobic thresholdZone 3: 89-93 % of your anaerobic thresholdZone 2: 83-88 % of your anaerobic threshold. The upper limit of zone 2 is your aerobic thresholdZone 1: <82 % of your anaerobic threshold. Zone 1 starts at your resting heart rate. Note, these % values are from anaerobic threshold heart rate, not from maximal heart rate. There are also other zone models that you can use. For example some of the zone models place your anaerobic threshold within zone 4 and in some models zone 1 does not start at rest heart rate but above it at 55 % of maximum heart rate. Kallio says that’s not really important – it’s about the concept: “What one needs to understand is that the role of the zones is to ensure you train in different intensities.”   Different activities, different intensity zones “It is also good to know that your heart rate zones differ slightly in different endurance sports. Activities where more muscles are working also require more oxygen meaning your anaerobic threshold is higher in these sports. You will reach your anaerobic threshold earlier in swimming than in cycling, running or cross-country skiing – in this order,” Janne reminds us. “So if you are, let’s say, a cyclist and a runner, you should test and define your zones for each of the sports to target your training intensities correctly.” It’s just one example of how a little knowledge can help out a lot – a whole lot.   LEARN HOW TO USE SUUNTO VERTICAL'S INTENSITY ZONES Main image © Philipp Reiter