Victor Ndombi “Wakanda” has alchemised the art of running. Every day, he wakes up, save for Sundays—his resting days—he puts on his running shoes and gets out of the house to chase another thrill on the road.
“I leave the house at around 5:30am I cover 10 to 11 kilometres outbound and a similar distance when coming back. After the marathon, I will get into the gym for at least an hour depending on how my day is set up. Sometimes when my mornings are not very busy I will work out for a combined period of five hours.”
He obsesses about working out. He has one goal in all this. “I fear getting soft around my waistline. So, every day, it is a race (literally) against a dadbod.”
His well-chiselled-out body pays homage to this obsession. He radiates the image of a man who is uber-conscious about his aesthetics.
“It is true, I care much about how I look. My body is the greatest investment I have, I will work on it, refine it, and push it to look the way I imagine it should look. I believe this should be everyone’s goal, to work on the things they believe in with passion. What is life without a strong push or passion?” He poses.
Biggest motivation
There is, however, a bigger motivation to his running and perhaps dearer to him.
“I also run for health reasons. Losing my parents within such a short period, was a wake-up call to me to look at my health more critically. Working out props your body to fight certain diseases. Your body has a better fighting chance than people who don’t work out.”
His parent’s deaths happened within one year of each other. He believes regular exercises would have managed their conditions better and maybe, their stories would have been different today.
“These are the things that wake me up every morning. These days, I don’t rely on my alarm to wake up. My body is used to the routine and of course the motivation around it.”
He takes part in different health awareness runs organised by the many clubs he is part of.
“My running is not just about me anymore. After realising that with a little awareness about physical fitness a lot of lives can be saved, I committed to take part in as many awareness and funds drive runs as I can. If more people sign up for this cause, we will be building a healthier world for ourselves, those we love and those who will come after us.”
At 33, the branding expert has 58 medals to his name, 33 of which are from all the marathons he has participated in over the last decade.
“I have always been a fitness lover. In high school, I played basketball and rugby. Sports gave me two things. I became very fit, and I developed a sense of community which I still leverage to this day. I am still a big fan of the two sports even though I no longer actively play.”
After high school, Victor found himself with plenty of time and nothing to do in the intervening period between high school and college.
“I looked for something to cure my boredom then. Running presented itself as a good playground for this. I started with easy runs, five, 10 and 15 kilometres before I pushed myself to take the 21 every week, then pushed myself further to take it daily.”
Victor Ndombi “Wakanda” says he has a mathematical approach that can help people who think they can’t work out due to time constraints.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
Becoming a running 'evangelist'
Victor has become a running evangelist. “Everywhere I have gone over the last decade, I have tried to build a fitness community of mostly routine recreational runners. Currently, I have a group of about 10 that I run with. I am a member of about seven fitness clubs as well. It always happens naturally, I don’t go out looking for people.
They see me working out and get interested. From there we build the communities together and even after I leave, they still keep at it. This is something I am truly proud of, to inspire people to get into this movement that isn’t just about its popularity, but mostly about its importance to their lives.”
For many people, fitness and specifically so, running’s greatest impediment is lack of discipline, something Victor does not seem to struggle with. How does he achieve this?
“Mentality. It is about your mentality. Everything you ask your brain to do, and generously invest time in thinking about, your brain gets attuned to. The push becomes not about waking up anymore, but how much one can push—in the gym, on the track, on the road, anywhere. There’s simply no excuse for anyone not to pursue fitness. Unless they are incapable due to health reasons.”
Running has benefitted Victor in many ways.
“First, I cannot remember the last time I was in hospital or taken any drugs even for a cold. I am healthy, not just in how I feel, but my whole physiology. My vitals are within healthy limits as well. I can boldly say this is due to working out.”
Mental health benefit
Running has also helped with his mental health.
“It is the one thing I relied on when I lost my parents. The vestige I held on to for direction and support. Running is one of those places you get to meet yourself, you get to chat with yourself and understand your pain, your limits and how far you can get. When I was going through the hard times, I’d hit the road running. It refreshed me and gave me perspectives of dealing with my pain and stress.”
Additionally, running has created several job opportunities for him and pushed him to learn broadly about fitness.
“I am now a qualified fitness coach. From this passion, I have met people who have seen the results of my own experience and have asked me to coach them. I preach water and take water, what I do is what I teach. I have developed fitness regimens and meal plans for clients at a fee. I avail myself for consultancies as well.”
He has a mathematical approach that can help people who think they can’t work out due to time constraints.
“Working out will only take four percent of the 24 hours you have in a day. I have divided my days into three parts: Work, rest, and fitness. I intentionally create time for each aspect to strike a balance. Those who work out do not have extra time on their hands. They make plans. With plans, it is possible to achieve whatever goals you want to achieve,” he says.
