Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 90, January 2017 | Page 24

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Made for R

Ma Feature

Being born two days before his dad was scheduled to run the 1985 Comrades
Marathon was a fitting start for Cuan Walker, who has gone on to make
a name for himself in South African running as an athlete, manager and TV
commentator. – BY RACHEL PIENAAR

That same year, he took the first step in what was
to become a successful commentary career. Former
Comrades Marathon Association Chairman Barry Varty
knew of the youngster’s immense interest in the
Comrades, so he introduced Cuan to former Comrades
women’s winner Cheryl Winn, who at the time was
media manager for the race. She offered Cuan a seat
on the press truck during the race, and he amazed
the journalists with his incredible knowledge of the
runners – not only could he recognise all the top
runners, but he even knew their running records, all
from memory! “I think it was then that people started
calling me a walking encyclopaedia,” jokes Cuan. “I
just found myself in the right place at the right time,
and people saw what input I could add.”

In between regular TV
appearances, Cuan still does
some running himself, and
he cites the 2007 Comrades
as one of his best running
moments. “I was actually
running injured, but my dad
was going to watch me run,
so I attempted it anyway. It wasn’t my fastest time,
and I landed up in ICU two days after the race, but my
Dad got to see me finish a Comrades Marathon, and
the cherry on top was finishing in 8:57 and hanging on
for a Bill Rowan medal.”
Unfortunately, when his dad passed away in November
2008, Cuan lost much of his will to run. Then getting
married in 2012 saw his running take even more of a
backseat, and it was only late in 2016 that Cuan found
himself drawn back into it. “I have only recently gotten
back into running properly and still see myself on the
comeback! I recently ran the Sani Stagger mountain
race off six weeks’ training and managed a 13th
overall, so I’m using that to motivate myself to keep
on going. Even though I may not get back to my old
times, it feels good to be back running.”

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

One of those people was the late Zithulele
Sinqe, former SA marathon record holder and TV
commentator. He helped Cuan get a foot in the door at
the SABC, starting with a short 10-minute stint on air
for the 2007 Soweto Marathon. Then in February 2008
the SABC asked Cuan to do commentary for the SA
Marathon Championships. “I literally spoke the entire
broadcast and they were amazed at my knowledge,
so they offered me a regular position, which to this
day I am still grateful to have. One my best memories
on the job happened during the 2011 Comrades
Marathon. It was run on my birthday, and during the
second half of the race, the other commentators sang
Happy Birthday on air and I had a little muffin with a
candle in as a birthday cake. That was a really special
moment!”

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ISSUE 90 JANUARY 2017 / www.modernathlete.co.za

At the Sani Pass race

EXPANDING HORIZONS

Of course, Cuan needs a day job to pay the bills,
and there he has also carved himself a niche in
running, working for Mr Price as team manager of the
company’s Maxed Elite Running Club’s pro athletes.
He says he has to thank former Olympian Gwen Van
Lingen for the job. “She literally took me in like a
mother and when I was not at school or training, I
was in the Mr Price Head Office, assisting her with the
team. When she left for the USA, I took over.”
Cuan is optimistic about the sport in SA, saying he
foresees more growth in the coming years. “We are
in a much better place now than we were three or
four years ago. More races are paying bigger money,
more events are being televised and running is slowly
but surely getting the coverage it deserves.” However,
he says his focus remains on telling the stories of the
runners and hopefully inspiring others to also take
up the running challenge. “That’s the best part of my
job. Each person, from the Comrades wi nner to the
sub-12 finisher, has a story to tell and inspiration to
draw from, and just seeing their successes and the
seasons of life the athletes go through inspires me to
try inspire other people.”

With Mo Farah in Kenya

Images: Courtesy Cuan Walker

I

f ever a man was destined to end up on TV as
a running commentator, it was Cuan Walker.
It started with him growing up in a running
household and developing a passion for all
things running from a young age, which saw
him run his first race when he was in grade three. “I
ran the RAC 5km in Johannesburg, and then around
the age of 12 I ran my first 10km, which was the 1997
Merewent 10km in Durban. I ran it in a time of 52:10
and winning a gold medal that day made me feel like I
had won the Olympics!”