We cannot change where these people come from, or where they are going, but we can help them along the way. Willem and his team decided that they wanted to help these guys along the road, and maybe try and document their stories. And so, Wonder Walkers was born.
Willem grew up in the Karoo, and spent many hours on the trails of various farms. He has developed a vast trail network over all of the different terrain types the Karoo has to offer. He gained most of his trail running experience when he started trail running in the Cape.
It is his passion and love for the Karoo, mountains, trail running and South Africans that pushed him to start the “Wonder Walkers” initiative.
“I drive between Cape Town and the Karoo on the N1 a lot. Every single time I drive I see people walking along the road, completely destitute. You can clearly see they are on a mission somewhere, walking with purpose.
They have nothing, they carry with them what they own, in many cases they don’t have a backpack or even shoes. Sometimes they have a blanket, sometimes they only have a plastic bottle, but whether it is in the searing heat of summer or the frost of winter, they are always there, just walking.”
Now as most of you will know, the N1 between Beaufort West and Laingsburg is pretty dire. From the top of the pass, the N1 passes Touws River and Matjiesfontein before passing through Laingsburg, then heads towards Beaufort West. The 200 km section between Laingsburg and Beaufort West is a long road in a car and even longer by foot.
“Driving there is my “thinking time”. I love to dream up stories and scenarios, and every time I drive past these guys, my mind runs away with me. Who are they, where are they from, where are they going, are they running away from something, do they have nothing left to live for?
Imagine you are walking to Cape Town. I always imagine… what happens when these guys reach the outskirts of Cape Town? I mean, what do they do, who do they speak to? They have no cell phone, no money, no food, no water… I have always been fascinated by them.
Recently, I decided, I need to know who these guys are, and that led to Karoo Running – Giving Back.”
Willem and his team organise trail runs because they love nature and being outside, it is their passion, and they want to share what they love with other South Africans.
“For me, that does not stop at trail running. We want to share these stories in the hopes that other people can also understand more about these Wonder Walkers.”
We cannot change where these people come from, or where they are going, but we can help them along the way. Willem and his team decided that they wanted to help these guys along the road, and maybe try and document their stories. And so, Wonder Walkers was born.
Their long term goal is to carry stocked backpacks in their cars, and give them out as they see people who need them. For now they are starting with the most amazing sleeping bags from Street Sleeper, especially designed for use by homeless people.
“Seeing the emotion when these guys receive a ‘care package’ is something indescribable. They walk along the road, clearly not even trying to get anything from anybody, just focusing on surviving, and here, out of the blue, someone stops and gives them something that will help them immensely along their journey. There is joy, appreciation and disbelief all in one facial expression.
We feel that that type of caring is in the spirit of Karoo Running.”
If you would like to get involved in any way, please get in contact with them. You can sponsor a care package, or a sleeping bag, or even if you have old running shoes, backpacks or old clothing lying around.
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