The Legend of Cliff Young: The 61 Year Old Farmer Who Won the World’s Toughest Race
The legendary story of Cliff Young is already known to many runners. If you're aren't familiar with it, you're in for a fascinating read.
An Unlikely Competitor
Cliff Young
Every year, Australia hosts 543.7-mile (875-kilometer) endurance racing from Sydney to Melbourne. It is considered among the world's most grueling ultra-marathons. The race takes five days to complete and is normally only attempted by world-class athletes who train specially for the event. These athletes are typically less than 30 years old and backed by large companies such as Nike.
In 1983, a man named Cliff Young showed up at the start of this race. Cliff was 61 years old and wore overalls and work boots. To everyone's shock, Cliff wasn't a spectator. He picked up his race number and joined the other runners.
The press and other athletes became curious and questioned Cliff. They told him, "You're crazy, there's no way you can finish this race." To which he replied, "Yes I can. See, I grew up on a farm where we couldn't afford horses or tractors, and the whole time I was growing up, whenever the storms would roll in, I'd have to go out and round up the sheep. We had 2,000 sheep on 2,000 acres. Sometimes I would have to run those sheep for two or three days. It took a long time, but I'd always catch them. I believe I can run this race."
When the race started, the pros quickly left Cliff behind. The crowds and television audience were entertained because Cliff didn't even run properly; he appeared to shuffle. Many even feared for the old farmer's safety.
The Tortoise and the Hare
Cliff Young
All of the professional athletes knew that it took about 5 days to finish the race. In order to compete, one had to run about 18 hours a day and sleep the remaining 6 hours. The thing is, Cliff Young didn't know that!
When the morning of the second day came, everyone was in for another surprise. Not only was Cliff still in the race, he had continued jogging all night.
Eventually Cliff was asked about his tactics for the rest of the race. To everyone's disbelief, he claimed he would run straight through to the finish without sleeping.
Cliff kept running. Each night he came a little closer to the leading pack. By the final night, he had surpassed all of the young, world-class athletes. He was the first competitor to cross the finish line and he set a new course record.
When Cliff was awarded the winning prize of $10,000, he said he didn't know there was a prize and insisted that he did not enter for the money. He ended up giving all of his winnings to several other runners, an act that endeared him to all of Australia.
Continued Inspiration
In the following year, Cliff entered the same race and took 7th place. Not even a displayed hip during the race stopped him.
Cliff came to prominence again in 1997, aged 76, when he attempted to raise money for homeless children by running around Australia's border. He completed 6,520 kilometers of the 16,000-kilometer run before he had to pull out because his only crew member became ill. Cliff Young passed away in 2003 at age 81.
Today, the "Young-shuffle" has been adopted by ultra-marathon runners because it is considered more energy-efficient. At least three champions of the Sydney to Melbourne race have used the shuffle to win the race. Furthermore, during the Sydney to Melbourne race, modern competitors do not sleep. Winning the race requires runners to go all night as well as all day, just like Cliff Young.
December 31, 2007
8:46 PM
these are the real heros of this world
January 1, 2008
12:24 AM
This guy lived not far from where I live and often ran in the Colac 6 day race. This article though explains to me why the papers kept calling him a ‘local legend’.
January 1, 2008
12:02 PM
Now thats what i call real inspiration.
January 1, 2008
9:42 PM
Incredibly inspiring story! The stuff people of character are made of! My son, Hansel,(age 14) sent me this story because he liked it. Cliff Young’s legacy goes on!
January 5, 2008
1:57 PM
What spirit. Just goes to show it really isn’t about the fancy name brand running gear.
January 7, 2008
9:42 AM
I’d love to know what kind of workboots he wore! I’m sure their manufacturer would too.
January 7, 2008
10:20 AM
For ultra-marathons, youth is not necessarily beneficial. Endurance doesn’t decrease with age the same way power does (which is why marathon runners are in their late 20s or early 30s, but sprinters are in their early 20s). Ultra-long distance runners benefit from having extra years to train, hence they can peak in their 30s or later.
Also, the people racing these races are generally not the same type of professional athletes you see run the marathon in the Olympics. The sport is less well-known, and it’s much harder to make a career being a pro ultra-distance runner, so consequently the standards are not the same as marathon standards since there are fewer people. I’m not saying these aren’t incredible athletes, but I’m saying that you can’t compare them to the top runners in the world (the ones you see win marathons).
January 7, 2008
1:12 PM
That is nuts.
January 7, 2008
3:49 PM
What an amazing story. I think it is movie-worthy.
January 7, 2008
6:07 PM
What a fantastic tale!
I enjoyed reading about Mr. Young, thank you.
January 7, 2008
7:56 PM
Dare to be different. Respect.
January 8, 2008
12:35 AM
omg….i dunno there’s such an event, and such a strong old man running hundreds of Kms…
January 8, 2008
4:22 AM
i’m 68 and going to get me some running shoes
January 8, 2008
4:40 AM
He gave his prizes to people he thought were worse off than himself.Those examples of self-sacrifice are what real tough men are made of. Brilliant story!!
Mat Wilson, Newcastle, England
January 8, 2008
1:32 PM
Amazing! He didn’t know he wouldn’t be able to do it, so he did it!
January 8, 2008
8:06 PM
Amazing, extraordinary & superb indeed…better than Forrest Gump, for sure! Hollywood must produce a film about this legendary guy, so it can inspire the whole world and not only Australia.
May 31, 2008
3:08 PM
this i amazing i hope to be as physically strong as he is at the age 61 he is a great inspiration i’m going to climb mount everest because of him =)
May 31, 2008
5:08 PM
Aussies are hardcore, that’s for damn sure. Wow, this guy was not only a world class runner at 61, he was a gentleman. Giving the money away and trying to raise money for homeless children.
If the world had even one more person like this think about how much more could be accomplished. Truly inspiring.
June 20, 2008
4:21 AM
As a distance runner myself I know that 90% of the battle is with yourself, its mind over pain and boredom, this guy had the right attitude, I dont mind and this dosnt matter, pure inspiration to us all, he will be missed.
June 24, 2008
4:59 PM
where can we see video of his “shuffle”
sounds like an efficient way to travel.
July 24, 2008
3:08 PM
Dean Karnazes THe Marathon man dident start running untill he was 30 so age is not really a hendrance.
August 5, 2008
3:02 PM
I’ve just been to a company induction today and they used this amazing story to show what can be achieved if you are motivated. What a legend, what an amazing Guy.
Gareth Watford England