UK ultra athlete Alex Welch wins 250km Namib Desert ultramarathon with record-breaking performance
SCC’s UK ultra athlete Alex Welch has made history once again, claiming victory in the 2025 Beyond the Ultimate Desert Ultra – a five-day, 250km race across the ancient Namib Desert, one of the world’s most extreme endurance environments.
The race, which began on Monday, 17 November, saw Alex, 29, overcome punishing daytime temperatures peaking between 53–58°C and near-freezing nights. Renowned as one of the planet’s oldest and harshest deserts, the Namib tested competitors with relentless sand dunes, energy-sapping scrubland, and vast exposed plains where heat radiates from every direction.
Alex, who became the youngest-ever winner of the Beyond the Ultimate Arctic Ultra earlier this year and secured a podium finish in the Mountain Ultra in Kyrgyzstan, delivered another extraordinary performance in Namibia – winning the race and setting a new course record.
Across five stages – 50km, 50km, 42km, 22km and a brutal 92km final day – athletes were required to be completely self-sufficient, carrying all food, supplies and mandatory equipment for the full week. The field included elite female competitors and a highly ranked Italian mountain runner, making Alex’s achievement even more remarkable.
Alex, who works as a Senior Cyber Security Sales Specialist at leading European technology solutions and services provider SCC, which continues to support his ultra-running journey through sponsorship, specialist kit and workplace flexibility, said:
“Namibia was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. The heat was on another level and every stage demanded absolute focus. To come away with the win – and a course record – is overwhelming. After the Arctic and Kyrgyzstan, this was the challenge I had been building towards all season. I’m grateful for everyone who has supported me, particularly my colleagues at SCC who have backed me every step of the way.”
Adam Clark, Chief Revenue Officer at SCC, said:
“Alex continues to embrace extraordinary challenges. Following his success in the Arctic and a podium finish in Kyrgyzstan, he has now triumphed in one of the world’s most demanding environments – Namibia. His exceptional discipline, resilience and ambition exemplify the spirit of SCC, and we are incredibly proud to support him throughout this remarkable endeavour.”
The race route began near the iconic Spitzkoppe Mountains, with runners navigating exposed desert tracks, towering dune systems and the notorious Damara Dash – the red-jersey stage renowned for crippling heat and brutal camber underfoot. The finish line sat at the Save the Rhino Outpost, where Alex sealed what organisers describe as “one of the purest tests of human endurance on earth.”