We met with Julien Wanders in Iten at his home with his fiancé Joan. Learn more about him, why he decided to go to Kenya and adopt the “kenyan lifestyle”, how he trains, how he stays focus and his ambitions for the season.
For the rare people who do not know you, can you introduce yourself quickly? Tell us who you are, where you come from, what you do in life.
Julien Wanders: My name is Julien Wanders and I am Swiss-French. I am a professional runner.
How old are you?
I’m 22 years old.
How old were you when you started?
I started athletics at 6 years old. Until I was 15, I used to do multiple things. At 15, I specialized in middle distance and cross-country.
Which were your favorite distances from the beginning?
When I was young, it was 1,000 meters. We were running cross-country at that time too. That’s when I realized that I was not too bad a runner.
You were one of the best in the country, right?
At the very beginning, no. When I was 12, 13 years old I was not even in the top 10. Around 15, I started to be in the top three.
Because you were training more?
Yes, I started to train 3 to 4 times a week. And from 16, 17 [years] I started winning.
What was the turning point? Was there a race or a period when you said to yourself…
There was a year where… I think it was when I joined my current coach. I was 15 or 16 years old. I went from 3:06 in the 1,000 meters, to 2:41 in one season. That’s when I started to progress. I finished third in my category’s championship.
Afterwards, I had another revelation when I ran my first international race at the European Cross-country Championships. It was in Belgrade, I think.
Was it your coach who spotted you or did you want to train with him?
No, it all just fell into place. I joined the Stade Genvois, my current club, at six years old. In all truth, I should not have been allowed to join because at 6, I was too young. I negotiated and we managed – they managed to get me in. Up until 15 years old everyone tries all the disciplines. It’s a bit like a game. At age 15, we choose a group that is either sprint, jumps or throwing. He was a middle-distance and cross-country coach.
Have you ever changed coaches?
No.
Does he coach other top athletes?
No, I was one of his first high-level athletes. Now they are starting to come. He has had more choices since. We have a good group.
Do you have brothers and sisters running?
I have two big sisters. They do not run.
Your parents, did they run?
No.
Are you the only one in the family?
Yes, I’m the only one in the family.
When you were a kid, did you ever think you wanted to be an athlete? Or did you want to be an engineer or something?
I always wanted to do something in sports. Be a professional football player, tennis player. I also played badminton. I wanted to do something in sports, but I did not know which one.
At age 6, did you insist on joining an athletics club?
Yes. There is a well-known race in Geneva, Switzerland called the Climbing Race. All children run it, it’s almost obligatory. After that race I joined the club.
The club you’re still with, by the way.
Yes (laughs).
Did you have a running idol or a mentor?
Bekele.
Still now?
Yes. I discovered Kipchoge. Now I’m more inspired by [Eliud] Kipchoge but [Kenenisa] Bekele is still a great athlete.
Do you know him well?
No, I do not know Bekele. I do know Eliud a little bit.
Do you ever train together?
No, he’s in Kaptagat.
Have you ever met Bekele?
No. Even though we’re on the same team.
When was your first time in Kenya?
December 2014.
For a training program?
Yes, I had finished high school – the equivalent of the Bac. I earned my baccalaureate. It was mandatory for my parents that I finished. I was meant to start at university, but I went for a week and stopped. That’s when I came to Kenya for a month-long discover training program.
I left, then I came back for the whole summer season. After the summer season in 2015, I came back twice for two months.
It is said that you came here and that now you live in the “Kenyan way.” What does it mean for you to “live in the Kenyan way” ?
Before, I was even crazier than now. I really wanted to live as simply as possible. I used to live here without water and I often did not have electricity.
Was that on purpose for your personal development? For your performance? Or was it more for the lifestyle?
It was to put me in the same state of mind as the Kenyans. I did some research and I saw that one of the reasons they are so strong is because they are almost all poor. They live with very little comfort. Even when they succeed, those who start to have comforts, they are less performant. Those who come back to their daily life, remain at the top of their form.
Let’s get your fridge out of here then.
(laughs)
Do you feel like it’s working?
No one wants to feel like they are living in a poorer place to perform better – but I think it’s really a holistic approach. I don’t enjoy complaining as much as I used to. Now, when I come back to Europe, I think it’s all too much. My mentality changed.
Was it hard in the beginning to cope with the differences between Switzerland and here, having lived in the most difficult conditions?
It was hard, of course. When you’re tired from training and you just want to have everything ready when you come back home… But no, you have to go get water and then cook; it takes time. It’s not always easy but you get used to it.
Early on, when I ate local dishes, I had some stomach problems.
Your coach has never been to Kenya. Is that by choice?
It’s his choice in spite of himself. He has a full-time job, plus a family, plus there is the whole group at Stade Genevois to train.
As soon as he can, he comes to my competitions. Especially the big competitions. He came to the last European Championship.
He was supposed to come to Monaco but couldn’t at the last minute.
I write in a notebook and I take photos, then I send everything to him by WhatsApp. We communicate mainly through WhatsApp or by phone. I call him almost every day to tell him how things are. It’s easy enough.
For my training, I have a group. I very rarely adapt my training sessions. With my group, I have to be there. Even when I’m tired, I go anyway. It’s like that.
Does it suit you not to have your coach at your competitions?
It really depends on the athlete. There are some who need to always have someone with them. I don’t. I told my coach that sometimes he can make me have a little doubt. I do not need that. I need someone who gives me confidence. So, before most races I don’t talk with him. I know what I want. He understands now.
Training in a group is very important. How do you build this group around yourself? Is it made up of people who have run with you for a long time?
The group is made of people I’ve met during my stay. At first when I came here, I was like everyone else. I found and joined other groups. In Kenya, I have always run in groups. Even when I had a solo program from my coach, I did not follow it. I did not see the point of coming here and doing everything alone. He quickly adapted my programs so that I could join the groups.
My neighbors invited me to go jogging. My group came together little by little. They saw that I had a program. They called people.
Very often other runners join us to try it out. Some cannot keep up the pace, so they leave. Others are not convinced, they leave too. The others stay.
There are also foreigners who come here for one-month training sessions. They try the group too. I find it cool.
Recently, I left for two weeks and left a program for the group. Before, as soon as I wasn’t around, the group went all over the place. I told myself that this time it would be better…
And the day you go back to Europe, will you want to train in a group?
Yes. When I go back for two or three months, I try to go with the people in my group.
And the person leading the group? Is that based on their results? What makes you the leader?
I have proven myself. Basically, they will not follow a runner who hasn’t achieved anything. Now there are good athletes who are starting to show interest in joining me. It’s also because I have a program. Generally, the best runner is the group leader.
And in your group, are there runners who have been successful professionally?
Most of my group is made up of young athletes who have not yet had big opportunities abroad.
There are two who integrated the NN team. In their cases, it is the race organizer who invites them. When they come with me for two months, I pay.
What did your parents say when you told them you were coming to Kenya?
They knew I wanted to come. But they did not think I wanted to stay for this long. They were a little worried, but it was ok in the end.
When you run, do you think of anything in particular?
I try to relax, to think about the position of my body. I try to focus on positive thoughts and stay in the moment, the present.
I work on it in training too. Of course, we all have days when we think about a lot of things and it’s a bit more difficult.
You don’t talk to each other while running?
No, we never chat.
In competition do you manage to keep the same state of mind or do you think more about your time or winning?
Of course, I have my time in mind but do not think about that too much either. It can make you tense. I always try to calm myself down and relax. I listen to my feelings.
Do you think about the physical talents of Kenyans and how hard they are to beat?
Not anymore.
But there were times when I really doubted everything. But with what I do in training, there are few who can do it, even among Kenyans. That I’m sure of. The first time I came here, I was fortunate that, even not having an extraordinary physical level, virtually all the sessions I did, I kept up with pretty good runners. Maybe that’s why I always thought it was doable.
Your parents are musicians, right? Do you listen to music when you run?
Yes, both are musicians, but my mother is professional. I rarely listen to music when I run. I listen to rap before competitions. I have some friends from Geneva who rap. Otherwise French rap. At the moment, I like Moha La Squale.
My parents play classical music but I’m not very fond of the style.
Your favorite type of session ?
I like long runs. Around 25 km. I’ve run up to 40. In general, though, around 25 or 30 kilometers.
We know that when you do not train, you feel like you’re un-training. That’s why you have very few days off. Can you explain that feeling to us?
I made some progress with that, but I used to hate taking a day off. My body didn’t require a lot of rest. On my low days, I would jog in the morning and rest in the afternoon. It became a habit. If I do not go out for a jog in the morning, something is missing.
It’s both a habit and an addiction. I really like running. It is a flaw and at the same time an advantage.
And before competitions, do you rest a little to arrive with fresh legs?
Yes, I’m mostly resting the last three days before a race.
At the moment, you are registering great times on the road but you are not as good on the track. Can that be explained?
When I was younger, I put a lot of pressure on myself. Many times, I was a favorite in the league and European outdoor championship. I was a favorite and I think I was fit enough to win both. But I had too much pressure. I’ve really worked on managing that.
This summer I think I ran a 5,000 km that really represented my form.
For the 10,000 km, I think I came down too late from St Moritz where it was between 0 and 5 degrees in the morning while it was 37 degrees in Berlin. I went to Berlin only two days before. The heat was too much for me. I ran the whole race and I did not have enough strength to push on the last lap. It was an error on my part and by my coach too. We will not reproduce it.
And for this summer, we’ll see what I’m capable of during the season. First, you have to qualify. If all goes right, that shouldn’t be a problem. I’m not going to the championship to finish fifteenth.
Will we see you run a marathon soon?
Yes, after Tokyo I would like to try a marathon. The longer it is on the track, the more comfortable I am. For me, the track is a bigger challenge. I like challenges.
I like to do six months of road running and six months of track. It’s good for the mind. I’m happy on the track.
For a marathon, I do not want to wait to be too old. I think I wouldn’t be so bad right now, but I want to reach a level where I can make good times.
Do you have a ritual or a lucky charm?
Yes, but it changes from one year to another. I do not really like having a real ritual because the day when one can’t do it, or one forgets, it can mess with your head. I am not superstitious.
Your ultimate dream for your career as an athlete. To be Olympic champion, to have the world record?
Both. For me, I do not count the world record in the 5,000 kilometers as significant. A world record in the marathon or on the track in the 10,000 kilometers… that would be huge. That’s why we train.
Will you feel that your career is a success when you become an Olympic champion?
An Olympic title is good but two is better.
For me, between becoming Olympic champion and having a world record, I cannot choose. One does not go without the other. So far, I’ve set a lot of records, but I have no title. It’s not right. And if I had only titles, that wouldn’t work either.
Do you have any ideas of what you want to do after your career? Do you want to stay in Kenya?
I do not really have an idea. I am focused on my career for now. I think I will stay in Kenya. I would love to stay in athletics. Why not coach, but I think I will be a little strict with my athletes. (Laughter)
That’s the problem when we succeed in our career. We want to pass it on, but not everyone is the same. I’m not sure I’m patient enough. Maybe with age that will change.
Are there times when you wonder why you make so many sacrifices to run?
No. It was clear to me from the start. At 17 years old I had a realization. I was even crazier than I am now, I even stopped talking with my friends. I was all about running. I talked about races and I never laughed during training.
Now I have a little perspective, but I do not regret this period. I never really liked to party. I do not consider myself to have made sacrifices. I do not see it like that. It’s my passion and that’s why my career will be long.
Do you think you’re crazy, or do people tell you that?
It’s mostly people. I have an atypical lifestyle. People are not used to that. When I think back to those years, I was really extreme. I thought about athletics all day. I watched race videos all day long. I tried to lose weight to go faster. I did not even weigh 50 kilos at a time. I wanted to be skinny like the Kenyans. I was sure that was the way to go. I understood that it was all wrong. I was skinny but I had no energy, I was sick all the time. Sometimes, after a messed up a race, I went to train like crazy because I was not happy. Once, I was injured and I left the house to go cycling for five hours. My parents found me shivering because it was minus 10 degrees. Too extreme.
I channeled this intensity as time went on.
Since then, I proved some things to myself. Now, I tell myself that I have time progress, to get better. I trust myself.
And Joan helps you with all this?
Yes. For example, this week I was scheduled to have a week of rest, which is good. I still managed to run three times anyway… (laughs)
