The Devil’s Code

Samuel Wanjiru’s life can best be compared with the movement of a rocket: going up with a high velocity and dipping with the same great force. Running on Empty gives a captivating account of Wanjiru’s childhood flanked with utmost loneliness, poverty and lack of identity. As a child, he comes face to face with rejection besides being subjected to harsh treatment at the home of his maternal grandfather. His zeal to change his future is the genesis of his triumph. His tenacity is rewarded with many gold medals written under his name. His desire to reign in the world of athletics sees him break world records and course records. He is catapulted into stardom when he breaks the world record at a tender age in the 2008 Olympic championships at Beijing; an achievement that Kenya had never had before. Wanjiru’s sterling performances in the marathon fire him to glory, making him one of the highest paid athletes in the world. The young gold medalist acquires so much fame than he can handle. His gold medals start to lose radiance when bad judgment coupled with competition for attention from the two women that are very close to him; his mother and wife, weighs heavily on him. Over indulgence in the bottle as a way of suppressing his ever increasing domestic tussles leads to his early death. Wanjiru dies with many of his dreams. Wanjiru had never been taught how to deal with his emotions in a constructive way. For me, it was clear for a long time that he would not get old. However, there is no doubt that in his short life, he achieved more than other people would in a hundred years. Wanjiru’s lawyer Wahome Ndegwa observes.