William Nanjero
Monday, March 30, 2015
It has been our goal to feature runners from different countries and this goal is slowly being achieved we roam north into Africa tonight. This is our Man Crush Monday, Run like a Kenyan...
On who you
are…
Simply put - a “runaholic.”
The name is William Nanjero and I would say I am an active, energetic piece of
the puzzle playing my part in ensuring everyone on the African continent is Financially
Included.
On running…
In my
younger days in school I was very “sporty.” I was in all the teams (except
athletics) and even managed to captain
my swimming team. Running however was not part of the script, it was just a
sport I didn’t have the heart for. As I moved into the great college years; I
continued with the swimming but lost it and the sporty side to the wild side. I
soon realised I have a challenge with committing to anything past 6 months &
as part of a bet signed up for the company running team to run a half marathon
in support of endangered wildlife – the hashtag #RunForCommitment was born.
Surely if I could be disciplined enough to stick through the 7 month training
regime and finish a half marathon, I could empower myself to commit more in
life. This was the beginning of an addiction, I successfully trained and
completed the half marathon… the rest is history
Presently
#RunForCommitment has evolved to #RunForInclusion a lot of people are excluded
in Africa and every mile I run, I dedicate and gives me motivation to play my
part in ensuring an increased number of people are financially included.
On Street
culture…
Most cities I have run, give their
own special experience. My hometown Nairobi is special. Running gives you the
chance to compete with pedestrians, cyclists and cars. Funny thing is drivers
with high end cars are always polite and give way whilst those with the below
average cars, public buses are the ones who are always hell bent on running
you over on the side walk.
Motivation on the street is
starting your run at 5:50am and you always run into a bunch of older citizens
without fail going through their daily routine #priceless.
On Running
culture…
My heroes are Moses Tanui and Wilson Kipsang.
It is a stereotype; not all Kenyans are elite athletes. I have been lucky enough to interact with champions; athletes and the support staff ( physios / coaches). Listening to the sacrifice and hard work they put in to get to the top is really inspiring. Running is an individual activity and it is you who decides where you want to be. I am extremely proud to be part of the two running clubs #OkoaJahazi and #ZoonaRunners, that is my family.
On gadgets…
Unfortunately my music is my crutch. Gadgets on the run – iPhone + Jabra clipper sport. These two I can’t run without. My playlist is full of motivational songs that help me not give up when my heart tries to lie to my legs.
On injury…
I am lucky enough to have the best physio in the world. I mean this is not exaggerated; many world & Olympic champions are treated by him. I have remained injury free solely because of Kariakim. Number 1 tip to avoid injury – always stretch after any run
On
achievements…
The list is endless. Commitment, a couple of half marathons in multiple
cities across the continent, financial inclusion strategies, started a running
club and inspired a few people across to start the journey
On future goals…
My priority
is to transition and compete in a triathlon. I will continue to experience new
cities and cultures by competing in half marathons.
Most
importantly my primary goal is to use running to inspire the pursuit of
ensuring more and more people are financially included.
On your
social media…
Twitter - @nanjero_ Instagram - @nanjero. Social media has been a great
tool for me to keep myself entertained in situations where one can’t just drop
everything & go for a run; for example meetings, training and whilst
travelling.
On Pink…
Letter to my unborn child. I love my pink Converse.
On Pain…
No Pain no gain. Use pain as the
fuel to achieve all that your heart desires.
When I die…
Who thinks about death, let’s focus
on the next run instead! Happy to be ready for the first half marathon of the
year!
Which I smashed...
#RunRevolution
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