FRESHPAK Salt Pans Ultra Marathon

The Freshpak Salt Pans Ultra Trail Marathon 2020 is a 3 day Ultra Trail Run on the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in Botswana.

Sua Pan, the Eastern of three salt pans situated in the middle of the dry savanna of North-Eastern Botswana, is one of the largest salt flats in the world. The pans are home to Africa’s only breeding ground of the Greater Flamingo and are the location of Wilbur Smith’s famous novel “The Sunbird”.

The pans are striking in their beauty however the harsh environment of the pans will make conditions on race day anyone’s guess. Late rains may make the pans muddy and wet, and hot winds whip up sand and slow progress, and the headache inducing snow white sand of the pans glares in the sun. October is known as suicide month due to the sudden run Northwards of the mercury on temperature gauges, after the brief cool, winter respite. Be prepared for anything.

At night the stars reach down and caress the horizon. The Milky Way (Botswana’s equivalent of the Northern lights) is as clear to the naked eye here as anywhere else on Earth and shooting stars are bright and sudden. The sunsets and sunrises amaze and the complete solitude forces introspection.

Welcome to Botswana’s first Ultra Marathon