Author: Modern Athlete

As a project manager for Old Mutual, Amanda Makwakwa has worked on many of the biggest running events in South Africa, and that not only got her into long distance running, but motivated her to tackle the biggest ultra’s in SA. – BY RACHEL PIENAAR

It was pretty much inevitable that the running bug would bit Amanda Makwakwa hard, given that much of her working career has focused on various running or walking events. Having studied marketing at PE Technicon, she found herself in Johannesburg working for the sponsorship team at Discovery, with one of their main events being the Discovery Walk the Talk. “When I began to work at Discovery, I think that’s where the healthy living started. My sponsorship properties have always been health and fitness, which fitted my personality and the way I do things.”

Amanda then joined the Old Mutual Sponsorship team in 2009, where she again got to look after various endurance events, including the Old Mutual Soweto Marathon and the Old Mutual Om Die Dam Ultra. Being around these events and all the runners rubbed off on her, and that motivated her to take up running herself, doing 5km, 10km and eventually 15km events. However, it was trip to the Comrades Marathon to work at the Expo that really got her running going.

“I’d been going to Comrades Marathon Expo for three or four years as a marketer, but one day I decided I wasn’t going to go home straight after the Expo, and instead I went along the route with everyone on race day. I think that really introduced the love of running for me. I remember walking out of there after the race and saying I think I should do Comrades too. At the time I hadn’t even done a 21km, so when I came back I made the decision to take my running more seriously.”

Sister Act

Amanda proceeded to rope her older sister in as a running partner and together they would tackle at least one 10km race a month. Seeking out new challenges, Amanda then ran her first 21km in 2016 at the Dis-Chem Half Marathon. “I remember cramping so badly and I was thinking oh-my-gosh, I still have 5km to go, but I finished it.” She says that made her realise she needed more training if she was going to attempt a marathon in the future. “Luckily I found a training group who meet at the Wanderers Club four to five times a week, usually in the morning, which suited my schedule perfectly.”

When the entries for the 2017 Comrades opened, Amanda decided to go for it. “When they launched entries, I looked at it and said is it this year?” She had not attempted a marathon yet, but had a good few 21km races under her belt, and motivated by her desire to run the Comrades, she roped another novice running buddy into doing the Sanlam Cape Town City Marathon with her. Even though she struggled during the race, Amanda says she switched off the negativity and pushed through to the finish. “I ran and walked and ran and walked till I got to the end, and once you get onto the blue carpet you are like, I have arrived! Suddenly you have this amazing feeling. When I finished, I remember my legs just locked – I couldn’t move – but I was so excited to have finished, and I think this gave me even more motivation to carry on with running.”

The Major Motivator

Knowing that she could now conquer a marathon, Amanda decided to take the plunge and enter the Comrades. “I looked at the registration and said to myself, maybe I’ll cancel later, but at least I know my entry is there.” Soon after that she decided to also enter the Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra, and she hasn’t been afraid to tell people of her goals. “I have been using the hashtag #TheYearOfHighRisk, because I am going big this year!” That also saw her change her approach to training, with regular time trials to work on speed and track her improvements, on top of longer training runs.

Even though she is still looking for that all-important qualifying time to be able to run the Comrades this year, Amanda says she is simply enjoying the running journey she is on. “Because I am doing what I love, working in the running space, it is a no-brainer that I run myself. I really love what I do and I really enjoy running, so it doesn’t feel like an effort, but rather a perfect fit for me. Even though there may be challenges, I probably don’t even recognise them as challenges, because it’s just part of who I am in my daily life, because I just get to do what I love.”

Jumping off buildings, doing fight scenes and being set on fire are all in a day’s work for film industry stuntwoman Lana Katz, and she uses a daily run to make sure she is fit enough to handle this physically demanding work.

– BY SEAN FALCONER

When Lana Katz meets somebody new, invariably the conversation focuses solely on what she does for a living. That’s because stunt work for the film industry sounds exciting and dangerous. And that’s why the 32-year-old heads out for a 5km run at the start of each day, usually along the Blouberg seafront roads in Cape Town, or she hits the treadmill if the wind is pumping too hard, because she needs to be in top physical shape in order to do her job.

“I run every morning, to keep fit and lean, usually for about half an hour, nothing too hectic, because my day is quite full. The run is usually followed by an hour of Jujitsu, then an hour of yoga, with another two hours of Jujitsu in the evening,” says Lana. “The way I look at it, I train to work, and work to train, so I am always looking to increase my skills and ensure my physical fitness. The worst thing would be to be on set and you can’t do what they need, so you need to ensure you are fit enough and have the skills to do the stunts.”

Naturally, Lana also has to be in peak shape in order to fill in as a stunt woman or body double for an actor, so fitness and training are just as important in terms of looks as ability to do the stunt work, but Lana says it is more about being strong enough to take the hits. “If they need me to go down the stairs or hit the ground 10 times, I need them to know I can take the knocks. I want my body to be strong enough to last long in the industry, so being fit, eating right and looking good all make sense.”

Time for Change…

What is even more interesting about Lana’s job is that she only took up stunt work a few years ago, having previously worked in the advertising industry. However, at the age of 27 she decided to follow a new path. “I was a senior executive on the client service side, dealing with clients, running budgets, briefing work into studio, and I had been doing that for about eight years. But I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to become a stunt woman – a lot of other things happened in my life to push me in that direction,” she says. “My marriage of five years ended in divorce in August 2013, and that made me look at my life and question whether I was actually happy, getting up each day to sit in traffic for two hours, and sit in the office all day doing mundane stuff over and over – and just living for the weekend. It wasn’t making me happy, and I realised I was on the wrong path.

“My husband and I were supposed to go to Thailand that November, and I decided that since I had booked and paid for a holiday, I may as well still go. It was there that I met two stunt guys from the USA and chatted to them about the industry. I told them I would love to do that kind of work, but I thought it may be too late, as I was already in my late-20s, but the guys said I should just do it. One of them said that if I could get to Los Angeles, he would be happy to help train me. So, when I came back from Thailand, I got off the plane and told my parents I was going to be a stunt woman. They were a little shocked, but I think that after everything I had been through with the divorce, they saw a positive change in me.”

Following the Dream

Lana stuck with her advertising job initially while saving as much as she could for the trip, and also attended stunt workshops while getting to know the local stunt community. In spite of her fitness and martial arts background, the physical demands of the new work unfortunately led to some injuries: She initially tore a ligament in her foot, and then when she got her first casting for a feature film, and resigned her job in order to pursue the opportunity, an old knee injury put her out of action.

“I was still working and saving, but then got the call that they needed me on a film, so I decided the time had come for me to say goodbye to the job and make the transition, so I resigned. However, I had been feeling a niggle in my knee, from a previous stunt job, and just before I was due to start the new film, I decided to go have it checked out. The doctor told me I had a torn ACL. I’ll never forget sitting in his office and thinking, great, I’ve just resigned, and I have work on a film, but now I need knee surgery.”

The surgeon said she would need a year for rehab, and that she should postpone her trip, but Lana was having none of that. “I told him I didn’t have a year, and then I really went for it with the rehab, in between doing freelance work in the advertising industry to tide myself over. I was even in the gym on crutches at one point, and I was running again as soon as possible. Eight months later the biokineticist did a strength test just before I left for the USA, and the knee was 98%. It took me two and a half years to get to LA, but it was an amazing experience, thanks to the stunt community being so welcoming. I was like a sponge for three months, just learning as much as I could, about martial arts, firearm, horse, stunt driving and open water SCUBA stunt work, and I am still constantly learning. I just love the challenge of the work.”

No Guarantees

Lana says there is a lot of work for stunt performers in Cape Town these days, with a number of studios in the city and a lot of foreign films, series and commercials being shot here, but there are never any guarantees. “You could get a phone call for a two-week shoot, or just for one day, or you may go a full month where there is just no work, so it’s a very up and down industry, and very seasonal. That’s why I am supplementing my income at the moment with waitressing, which works for me because I can put in shifts when it suits my schedule, and I can get my shift covered when I need to go for a casting or a shoot, or a stunt workshop or training session, which often come up at the last minute.”

“I am still very young in the industry and just establishing myself, so I am just making the most of the experience. It has been difficult going from a nine-to-five job with a guaranteed salary, to not knowing what could happen next, but I’m happy, because the days that I get to be on set make it so worthwhile. I gave up that other lifestyle because being able to do what I love is what’s important.”

The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) is saddened by the loss of its Finish Procedure Convenor, Dudley St John-Ward. He passed away last Friday at the age of 70. Dudley was funny, friendly and always smiling with an admirable period of volunteerism at the Comrades Marathon, spanning nearly three decades.

Dudley has been described as a genuine people’s person who was positive, humble and always approachable. He loved the Comrades Marathon, having run the race 11 times consecutively, from 1980 to 1990 with a Comrades best time of 8:23 in 1984.

He was a proud member of the Comrades Marathon Green Number Club and further went on to receive his Comrades Green Name award in lieu of his exemplary voluntary service to the association.

CMA Chairperson, Sifiso Nzuza says, “He was a popular, beloved and invaluable member of Team Comrades whose role as Finish Procedure Convenor was absolutely integral to the smooth running on race day and the success of the Comrades Marathon. During the 17 years that Dudley was in charge of the Finish Procedure, hundreds of thousands of runners passed through the well-oiled machine of the Comrades finish chutes, proudly clutching their medals and badges, being offered a refreshing cold drink or a cup of hot soup, and when necessary, dispatched off to the Medical Tent.”

Nzuza tells us that Dudley’s volunteerism is inspiring. “He will be sadly missed and fondly remembered by all members of Team Comrades on 4 June when the best tribute we can pay to him is to carry on in the proud tradition of selfless and voluntary service to others which he exemplified. He inspired many people to give of their best. Rest in Peace Dudley, and our sincere condolences to his wife Anne and family.”

Former CMA Chairperson, Peter Proctor tells us that Dudley helped out on the Comrades Marathon’s Finish Procedure Portfolio for many years until he became the portfolio holder in 2000.

Peter says, “Dudley was a friend to all. He was a jovial and lovable character and always showed a kind heart and willingness to help. His years of service to the Comrades Marathon was a glittering example where he carried out his duties without complaint or falter.”

CMA General Manager, Chris Fisher says, “Our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences go out from the Comrades Marathon Association to Dudley’s family and friends on his passing. It was an honour to have been a part of his life. We were truly blessed to have known and to have worked alongside such a wonderful person for so many years. He will be truly missed and always remembered.”

Chris adds, “The playing of the Last Post on the Comrades finish line at 17h30 at this year’s race will hold particular significance for all CMA members.”

Former CMA Chairperson, Jeff Minnaar says, “Having been to school with Dudley and working with him at Comrades for 17 years, I am shattered that my dear young friend has left us without notice. Dudley was a pleasure to work and socialise with, so easy-going and always willing to assist and find solutions not only to his problems but for yours as well. Dudley was a friend indeed and a friend in need. Rest in peace Dudley!”

Desagie Naidoo, Workshop Manager of the Pietermaritzburg Mental Health Society says, “Dudley was just such an affable person. The bulk of the people at our society are intellectually challenged and psychiatrically ill; however in spite of this, Dudley always treated them with dignity and respect. I remember Dudley’s wonderful gesture after last year’s Comrades Marathon when he bought a packet of biscuits for each of the 105 members at the society as a personal token of gratitude for the packing of the Comrades badges and flashes for the athletes. Everyone at the Buxton Protective Workshop will miss him dearly.”

CMA Board Member, Isaac Ngwenya says, “Dudley was an amazing person who always made time for people. I am so shocked at his untimely passing. He was helpful and took his volunteerism at the Comrades very seriously. He went beyond the call of duty to ensure that his portfolio was immaculately executed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time. We are going to miss him greatly.”

CMA Elder, Henry Makhathini says, “I am very sad and shocked to hear about Dudley’s passing. I knew him from back in 1989 when I met him at the Fire Department where he worked for a long time. We then started working with him at Comrades from 1990 when he was involved at the finish. Dudley had an everlasting smile. He was always happy. Whenever you met him, you had to laugh. He was also very gifted with his hands. Our homes were separated by a railway line and I vividly remember him coming to my house to check my built-in cupboards. From the moment he arrived right up until he left, we couldn’t stop laughing at all the stories he had told us about his childhood days. May his soul rest in peace.”

“When I assumed the position of Race Director three years ago (and just 2 months before race day) the Finish Procedure portfolio was managed by Dudley. His first meet with me was fun, happy, bubbly, laid back interaction where his words of “Don’t worry my china all is under control, you can focus elsewhere.” True to his words that was the case. In the years that followed I never needed to focus on that portfolio as I knew that Dudley had it under control. Such was the meticulous and professional approach that he had to his portfolio. He was and always will be an iconic figure on the finish line and someone who managed it admirably.”

CMA Marketing Manager, Thami Vilakazi says, “I will miss your friendly smile and the funny jokes you used to tell every time we met. Rest in Peace Dudley!”

CMA Procurement Officer, Alain Dalais says, “Dudley always had an entertaining story about his past Comrades Marathon experiences, and he always shared these stories every time we met. He was always bubbly and cheerful, from the time he greeted us with the words “Howzit China”. His passion for the Comrades Marathon and his Finish Procedure portfolio was admirable and I looked up to him and respected him both as a great man and as a person that truly embodied the spirit and camaraderie of the Comrades Marathon.”

Manager of the Nedbank Running Club, Nick Bester says, “It is indeed sad news to have lost Dudley. He will be remembered as a stalwart on the Comrades Marathon finish line. May he rest in peace.”

CMA Technical Portfolio Convenor, Henry Somaru says, “I'm very saddened to hear of the sudden passing away of Dudley. It was an absolute pleasure to have worked with him at Comrades and to have known him. My condolences to his family, colleagues and friends.”

CMA Maintenance Officer, Louis van der Linden says, “Except for Dudley''s contagious laugh and never-ending doses of good humour, I will always remember him as the guy who set up the timing clocks on the Comrades lead vehicles. Virtually every year, different cars were being used and Dudley had the daunting task of having to make a plan to fix the clocks on the roofs of cars that were not really designed for roof carriers. But Dudley never gave up. At two o’ clock on the morning of the race, one will invariably see Dudley sweating away, making a plan and tuning the clocks to the correct times. We will miss you Dudley!”

CMA Board Member, Alen Hattingh reflects on his first meeting with Dudley, “I met him almost 30 years ago when the new elite club, Maritzburg Striders was being formed in Pietermaritzburg. At Cross Country, at the gun, Dudley would take off like a rocket and be in the lead for about 100m and the field would only catch up with him once they were in the bush. We always laughed and joked about the way he always gave the top runners a fright. Every time we met, we rehashed the story and as we all know, Dudley was a great story teller. I loved being in Dudley’s company and enjoyed working with him in the finish area at Comrades. I will miss you Dudley.”

Former CMA Board Member, Terence Hoskins says, “I was privileged to have known Dudley from our running days. I also met his wife, Anne and enjoyed many a good time with them. His dedication to the Comrades Marathon was outstanding. His sense of humour and goodwill amongst all who knew him will be missed for a long time to come. On behalf of Lola and myself, I wish Anne and the family strength and comfort.”

Colin Higgins says, “On behalf of everyone at Pretoria Metal Badge and Button, our sincerest condolences on the loss of Dudley. Our hearts go out to his family and the Comrades team during this time.”

The memorial service for Dudley will be held on Wednesday, 26 April 2017 at 14hoo at the Lutheran Church – 2 Bester Road, Hayfields in Pietermaritzburg.

With nearly 50 years of race walking experience behind him, both as a record-breaking athlete and as a highly successful coach of multiple Olympians, SA Champs and SA Record-holders, Carl Meyer is a true living legend of South African athletics. – BY SEAN FALCONER

Carl Meyer can thank his parents’ decision to move for motivating him to take up walking… although it wasn’t the sport that initially got him walking. Born in 1957 in Springs, Carl then moved with his family to Heidelberg, but still travelled back to Springs each day for school. That saw him catch the 30-minute railway bus to Nigel at 3:45am, then wait at Nigel Station till 5:45 to travel to Springs Station, followed by a 3km bus ride to the school. “My mother would give me money to buy food at first break, plus bus money for the last 3km to school, but I decided to save the bus fare to have money for both breaks at school, so I walked the 3km. All the other guys would wait for the bus, and I would get to school before them.”

However, before he took up race walking, Carl first tried running. In 1969 his mother entered him in a local 10km road race, but it was not the auspicious debut that he had envisaged. “Being a youngster, I thought I could win it and claim the big prize money. Instead, I came second-last, and I was not too happy,” jokes Carl. Then when he was in standard seven the school announced that a walking event would be added to the inter-schools athletics programme the following year, so the school would be holding trials. “Our PT teacher made all the classes walk around the rugby fields for 10 minutes, and the boys who went furthest got selected. Even though I was still the smallest guy in the school, I walked furthest amongst all classes and I was selected.”

However, before the new school year began, Carl’s family moved to Alberton and he transferred to Helpmekaar High School in Johannesburg, which had already had trials, so he had to wait for the inter-house colour meet to show what he could do. “They had a guy in Matric called Henry Golden, who was the reigning schools provincial walking champ, and I beat him in that first meet.”

Record-breaking Walker
By 1973, aged 16, Carl was being coached by his father and also had Air Force Colonel Andre van der Heever as his mentor. “My father went to the Joburg Library to find books on race walking, and I used them to teach myself the right technique. He would also take me to Andre every second Wednesday to check my technique, because Andre was a provincial walking judge. He always said I had one of the best techniques he’d seen.

That year Carl was ranked sixth in the Youth age category, so his father asked him, “Are you sixth-best, or best?” When Carl answered that he was the best, his father said, “All right, then you won’t race the SA Youth Champs, you will rather take the winter off from competition to train.” Andre had told Carl he needed to increase his mileage, but neither he nor his father knew what “plenty mileage” meant. “So my father decided that every second Saturday morning the two of us would go for a long walk from Heidelberg towards Meyerton, with my mom driving the Valiant 15 miles out to give us water, and then we walked back. If you wanted to see two dead people, that was us!”

But it worked, and in his Matric year in 1975, he broke his first SA Record, the boys’ under-19 3000m. In the three-year period from 1975 to 1977, Carl went on to set 36 SA records at 1500, 3000, 5000 for under-19s and under-21s, as well as the 10,000m mark for under-21s. He also won his first senior SA title in the 5000m in 1977. Remarkably, Carl’s 1976 under-19 record for 5000m of 21:32.?? still stands after 41 years, and is now the oldest record still on the SA all-time list, but Carl says he is actually not that pleased to see the record still intact.

“I no longer see it as a reflection of my ability, but rather a direct reflection of the administration of the sport. It shows that athletes are not getting the opportunity to race. In those years the number of races was greater – two a week on average, so we would do about 20 to 24 races in a season. Today our walkers are lucky if they get five in a season! And it seems the more you plead for more races, the more they seem to shift race walking to one side,” says Carl. “Also, in those days we had exciting walking events that were part of the main programme at the big meets. Nowadays, we are lucky just to be part of the pre-event programme, with no TV coverage, and at the ASA Track and Field Champs, they only have a road walk on the programme, as the organisers say there is not enough time in the programme to include track events.”

Getting Into Coaching
After school Carl studied psychology at RAU, married Stefnie and had three kids, sons MJ and Nicholas and daughter Zoe. Now living in Boksburg, Carl is the Managing Director of PayDirect, a telephonic payment gateway service provider. After a long competitive career, Carl retired from senior competition in 1995. That year he was awarded national colours when selected for the IAAF Race Walking World Cup in Beijing, where he finished 73rd in the 20km, but he was bitterly disappointed not to be selected for the IAAF World Champs later that year, even though he had posted a faster time than one of the athletes who was selected.

“I was deemed to old at 38 to be selected – ASA’s age limit was 36 – so I decided to retire, but soon I was missing the track, and towards the beginning of 1997, my wife suggested I go into coaching. “So I attended the SA Junior Champs in Germiston and saw a junior, Ian Collins, with the most amazing leg speed. I told him if ever he needed a coach, he was welcome to contact me, which he did. He had massive talent, but once he finished school his career unfortunately took over and he never really achieved his true potential.”

“Around the same time I got call from a group of ladies in Vanderbijlpark who said their daughters were overweight and needed to exercise. It was the first time I got paid for something in race walking! Even better, I immediately spotted the potential of this one very tall girl, Leanne Watts. After 12 weeks of coaching, she had lost 27 kilograms, and she went on to represent SA together with another of my athletes, Nicolene Cronje, at the 2000 African Junior Champs in Mauritius, where Nicolene won and Leanne finished second. Nicolene still holds the SA senior records for 3000m, 5000m, 10,000m and 20,000m, and Leanne also set an SA Junior Record for 10km, which stood until another of my athletes, Anel Oosthuizen, broke it in 2012. Anel currently holds the SA Junior Records for 5000m, 10,000m and 10km, and the Senior 20km Record, and I think she is ready to break the Senior 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m SA Records.”

Carl is the only IAAF Level 4 race walking coach in SA and is rightfully proud of his coaching career, which has produced two Olympians (Nicolene in 2004 and Anel in 2016), as well as 44 SA Champions, more than 40 SA Records, as well as multiple World Masters Champs medallists. Carl himself has won many SA Masters titles and medalled at three World Masters Champs, and currently holds the SA Masters 10,000m record for the 50-54 age category. “My intention is to go to the World Masters next year in Spain, when I move up to the 60-64 category, because I’m still in good shape and want to go after some new records for 5000m, 10km and 20km,” says Carl.

Hurdles to Overcome
After nearly 50 years in the sport, and having served as Chairperson of the ASA Race Walking Committee, Carl says he is saddened by the future prospects of the sport in SA. “Due to the insight of former ASA President James Evans, who took race walking on as a personal project, we made great progress. James gave us a clear instruction that race walkers must manage themselves and set their own standards, and ASA will then make it possible for them to attend World Cups. That saw us take sizable teams to various World Cups, including up-and-coming juniors like Anel and Lebogang Shange, and that eventually paid off when we had four walkers qualify for the Olympics last year for the first time.”

“However, since 2014 there has been a new administration at ASA, and a new way of thinking, so now we no longer take big teams to World Cups, and the standards set by ASA are so unrealistic that Anel says she doesn’t know if she will be able to qualify for another ASA team. Sadly, I don’t think we will see four walkers qualify for the next Olympics unless things change.”

In recent developments, Carl’s contract as a coach with the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Athletics Club was cancelled, due to cost-saving measures forced by the fallout of the Fees Must Fall movement, and he says this is having a negative effect on Anel’s training, as he is no longer able to drive to UJ from Boksburg to pick her up and take her to a safer area for walking at the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens. “There are a lot of hurdles in front of not just us, but the sport of race walking, and I hope that things will change for the better soon. But it will take a lot of work.”

Carl’s Stats

SA Titles
1975 – Under-19 5000m
1976 – Under-19 5000m
1977 – Senior 5000m
1978 – Under-21 10,000m
1995 – 20km

PBs
1500m – 6:25.0
3000m – 12:06.2
5000m – 21:06.3
10,000m – 46:17.0
20,000m – 1:30:59
20km – 1:28:39
30km – 2:37:34