Interview with Max Calderan, an Extreme Desert Explorer and Author of the book “La Forza Dentro” (soon also in English and Arabic)
Extreme desert explorer, defined son of the desert, Max Calderan has crossed the most insidious and impassable sands in the world, surviving in conditions that are beyond any known human limits.
Among his several record explorations he has ran 90 hours without stopping, covering 437km in Oman following the ideal line of the Tropic of Cancer. He’s ran 360km in 75 hours across the United Arab Emirates in summer time with temperatures over 140 Fahrenheit. Max has pushed his limit over all scientific studies. Medicine is still unable to give a scientific explanation to his achievements.
Max Calderan was born in Italy in Portogruaro, Venice on July 1, 1967. A lively child and attentive investigator, he undertook the path of young multi-talented athlete successfully, first from climbing and extreme skiing and reaching later recognised levels of performance in more than 15 sports.
In 1988 he began his career as a teacher trainer. He dedicated himself to the study of the mechanisms that regulate the reactions of the human body to external stimuli and developed over the years in collaboration with a leading genetics lab in Europe, a genomic test that today allows you to revolutionize the concept of prevention/obtaining results. His studies have led to his publication in the scientific journal “The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness.”
Working for nearly twenty years covering managerial roles at major pharmaceutical companies, during this period he deepened his research in two areas that have always fascinated him: sleep deprivation and defence mechanisms that regulate the emotion of fear.
Several years of experience in important business fields, the management and ownership of holdings in the United Arab Emirates, an epic sport career, the deviations from the so-called physical and mental limits, represent only a small part of the background of the Extreme Desert Explorer, Max Calderan.
We had chance to meet Max during the Spartan Race, in February, in a very funny way. On the flight to Dubai he had chance to read a copy of OutdoorUAE and he found himself absorbed in an article written by me and he saw my pictures. Two days after, at the Spartan Race, he recognized me and we stopped for a chat.
After a while, knowing one of my dreams was to complete a full marathon in the desert, he proposed to spend a day together in the desert “Calderan style”. I accepted.
During the two hour and 30 minute drive to Liwa, he had a chance for this interview.
Nico de Corato: Max the first question is almost popular (I suppose) but also mandatory. How can a person decide to become an extreme runner? For most of the people marathon is already an extreme challenge. Ok you can add the idea of completing a full marathon in the desert (I like the idea for example). But you… exceed any imagination.
Max Calderan: I always desired to do something no one else could do, something considered impossible. I look for a new limit, something new for everybody. And I found my way to do that, crossing deserts even during hot summers, deserts you cannot cross by any kind of vehicle. In such a way, I became an extreme desert explorer
NdC: Can you tell us more about the preparation for this kind of challenge? I mean it’s not only the mental and physical stress of a long run, but also the fight with an extreme environment: sun burn, dehydration, possibility of getting lost or seriously injured without any immediate medical assistance.
MC: I don’t follow training tables or use a heart rate monitor; I don’t get any food supplement. When I’m in Italy, among my mountains, I run in shorts and shirtless while the temperatures are rated at -10 degrees and then I dive into the icy waters of the streams. You must have, first of all, a strong physical condition, not only during your training, but also in everyday life. If you control your body in any situation, you can go further: the first real challenge is to overcome the burdens and superstructures that normally limit us.
NdC: Which desert is your favourite?
MC: There is no favourite desert, because each desert offers something new to be discovered. A lot can happen in various deserts. The experience can be different while in the Tropic of Cancer and the experience can also be different in deserts with dozens of dunes each of them 400 meters high.
NdC: What’s your next extreme challenge?
MC: Nobody went from North to South in the Lut Desert in Iran, so I trained myself for several years and now I am ready. It is, according to the NASA, the hottest surface all over the world (70 degrees during the summer seasons). So next summer, I will discover the meaning of 70 degrees Celsius
This exploration also creates an opportunity for the Iranian cheetahs and other desert animals to be saved drawing the world’s attention to their endangered status. Desert exploring is an instrument that can be used to inform people to shed light on situations that will help us save our beautiful planet. There are only 70 to 80 Iranian cheetahs in the Lut desert, we should preserve and protect them.
The record will be done in November. The final goal of this desert exploration will be hopefully in 2016 which is trying to cross the Empty Quarter desert along the midline (not along the borders). An area spanning 1000km of unexplored desert.
NdC: Lastly, what advice would you give to runners who want to start venturing in the desert?
MC: First of all, bear in mind that you are approaching an extreme environment, asking for respect. It’s not only a hard run; you need to use all your senses and body functions to achieve an exceptional performance. It’s not only about running, it’s about surviving.
Words By: Nico de Corato
Photos by: Nico de Corato and supplied
