Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 122, September 2019 | Page 13

blow out in the group on day three, but that seemed
to be needed, as from then on there seemed to be a
better understanding and tolerance level. It was very
interesting to see how people reacted to different
stress levels and situations.”
Unsurprisingly, the trip left Wandi with many memories
and indelible impressions. Perhaps the most profound
came on the morning of day four, as the group ran
along the famous white cliffs of Dover in the UK,
before departing Newhaven on the ferry to cross the
English Channel to France. “That was really special.
And high!” he exclaims. “I lay down on my tummy,
crawled to the edge and looked down. I was literally
looking down on the seagulls flying around the cliffs.
But lying there was also a spiritual experience for me.
It was so peaceful. I lay there looking down for about
five minutes. Initially the adrenaline was pumping, but
then I calmed down and felt this amazing sense of
peace and awe. It seemed that all the troubles in the
world had become insignificant. I was that much at
peace.”
HUMBLE ORIGINS
splints. We had to carry our food with us during the
day, as only breakfast and dinner was catered for. So
the first day was a marathon, day two was over 50km,
and day three became 75km. We were not all at the
same fitness level, and ran at different speeds, so that
did cause some friction, which was made even more
difficult by the language barriers. We had a massive
This jet-setting life as an international runner and
brand ambassador is a far cry from Wandisile’s
humble start to life. He was born on 24 December
1975, in the remote village of Soto Location in
Mooiplaas, some 40km outside of East London, the
eldest of five siblings. Life was challenging for Wandi
and his family: Water had to be fetched from the river
in buckets, there was no electricity, the family slept in
one hut, and afternoons and weekends were spent
herding the cows and goats. His mother
had no education, and his father had left
school in Standard 2. Life was a battle...
so for Wandi, the escape was education.
He learnt from a very early age that he
needed to excel at school if he wanted to
leave the rural and humble surroundings
he was growing up in.
replies that he didn’t have any specific heroes that he
followed. “We did not have TV when we grew up. It
just happened that way.”
Once Wandi hit Standard 8, he moved in with his
uncle in Duncan Village, a Township in East London.
As with primary school and his junior high school
years, Wandi threw himself into his studies in East
London, and when he matriculated, he was awarded
a full bursary from Liberty Life to go study Computer
Science and Applied Mathematics at Wits in 1994.
The hard work was beginning to pay off!
THE BIG SMOKE
That bursary literally changed Wandi’s life, but it
was a big move for the 18-year-old. “I literally only
had 50 bucks, which my grandmother gave me. I
also had the clothes on my back and a tog bag full
of other clothing and toiletries. That was it.” As he
says that, he holds up a regular sports tog bag to
demonstrate how little it actually was. “Fortunately,
the bursary covered everything, all my tuition and my
accommodation. I went into a fully catered res, so
all meals were catered for. All my books, stationary,
everything.”
The bursary also changed the fortunes of Wandi’s
family, as it effectively made him the ‘bread-
winner’ in the family. The small amount of
Wandi is a talented runner, but not in the
realms of those select few who could
earn a living from it – only a tiny number
of South Africans fall into this category –
and his running started much later in life,
anyway. At school his first love was soccer.
“I was a number nine, a striker,” says
Wandi with that infectious laugh of his.
When asked who his idol and inspiration
was amongst the world’s top players, he
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