An SCC cyber sales specialist last month swapped sandboxes for sand dunes as he competed in – and won – a Namib Desert ultramarathon.
Alex Welch claimed victory in the 250km 2025 Beyond the Ultimate Desert Ultra in a record time.
On the way, he braved daytimes temperatures of up to 58 degrees, as well as “relentless sand dunes, energy-sapping scrubland, and vast exposed plains where heat radiates from every direction”, according to the press statement.
The SCC man 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.
In his day job, Welch works as a Senior Cyber Security Sales Specialist for SCC.
He is not the only top athlete hiding in the IT industry, with Olympics bronze medallist Georgia Hunter Bell until last year working for Abnormal Security.
“Namibia was unlike anything I’d ever experienced,” Welch said in a canned statement.
“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, added: “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.”
