Cliff Young (athlete)
Encyclopedia
Albert Ernest Clifford "Cliff" Young (8 February 19222 November 2003) was an Australian potato farmer and athlete from Beech Forest, Victoria
, best noted for his unexpected Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon win at 61 years of age.
in Beech Forest in southwestern Victoria. The family farm
was approximately 2000 acres (8.1 km²) in size with approximately 2,000 sheep. Young would round up the stock on foot, reckoning that it was the easiest method.
In late 1982, after training for months around the Otway Ranges, Young attempted to break Siggy Bauer's then world record for 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) of 11 days and 23 hours. The attempt took place in Colac
's Memorial Square. Young had to abandon the world-record attempt after 500 miles. Reflecting on the failed attempt, Young wrote that he and his support team were inexperienced and ill-prepared.
(875 kilometres, 544 miles). The race was run between what were then Australia's two largest shopping centres: Westfield Parramatta, in Sydney, and Westfield Doncaster, in Melbourne. Cliff arrived at the start line with overalls and gumboots. He ran at a slow loping pace and trailed the leaders for most of the course, but by denying himself sleep and running while the others slept, he slowly gained on them and eventually won by a large margin.
Before running the race, he told the press that he had previously run for two to three days straight rounding up sheep. He claimed afterwards that during the race, he imagined that he was running after sheep and trying to outrun a storm.
He became very popular after this "tortoise and hare"
feat, so much so that in Colac, Victoria
, the Cliff Young Australian Six-Day Race was established that same year.
The Westfield run took him five days, 15 hours and four minutes, trimming almost two days off the record for any previous run between Sydney and Melbourne. All of the six competitors who finished the race broke the previous record, but Young beat them by running while they were sleeping.
In 1997 at age 75, he made an attempt to beat Ron Grant's around Australia record and completed 6,520 kilometres of the 16,000-kilometre run, but he had to pull out because his only crew member became ill. In 2000 he achieved a world age record in a six-day race in Victoria.
named her Sydney Comedy Festival show "The Cliff Young Shuffle" in tribute.
Beech Forest, Victoria
Beech Forest is a town in Victoria, Australia. The area of Beech Forest is largely used for potato farming.The town was named after the many myrtle beech trees of the area. Beech Forest Post Office opened on 10 May 1890 and closed in 1994....
, best noted for his unexpected Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon win at 61 years of age.
Early life
Born the eldest son of Mary and Albert Ernest Young on 8 February 1922, Albert Ernest Clifford Young grew up on a farmFarm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
in Beech Forest in southwestern Victoria. The family farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
was approximately 2000 acres (8.1 km²) in size with approximately 2,000 sheep. Young would round up the stock on foot, reckoning that it was the easiest method.
In late 1982, after training for months around the Otway Ranges, Young attempted to break Siggy Bauer's then world record for 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) of 11 days and 23 hours. The attempt took place in Colac
Colac, Victoria
Colac is a small city located in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, situated approximately 150 kilometres south-west of Melbourne on the southern shore of Lake Colac and the surrounding volcanic plains, approximately 40 km inland from Bass Strait. Colac is the largest city in and...
's Memorial Square. Young had to abandon the world-record attempt after 500 miles. Reflecting on the failed attempt, Young wrote that he and his support team were inexperienced and ill-prepared.
Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon
In 1983, the 61-year-old potato farmer won the first Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultra MarathonWestfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon
The Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon was an annual ultra-marathon foot race held between 1983 and 1991. The , five-day event was regarded as one of the toughest in the world. It was particularly notable for having been won in 1983 by an almost unknown, 61-year old potato farmer Cliff...
(875 kilometres, 544 miles). The race was run between what were then Australia's two largest shopping centres: Westfield Parramatta, in Sydney, and Westfield Doncaster, in Melbourne. Cliff arrived at the start line with overalls and gumboots. He ran at a slow loping pace and trailed the leaders for most of the course, but by denying himself sleep and running while the others slept, he slowly gained on them and eventually won by a large margin.
Before running the race, he told the press that he had previously run for two to three days straight rounding up sheep. He claimed afterwards that during the race, he imagined that he was running after sheep and trying to outrun a storm.
He became very popular after this "tortoise and hare"
The Tortoise and the Hare
The Tortoise and the Hare is a fable attributed to Aesop and is number 226 in the Perry Index. The story concerns a hare who ridicules a slow-moving tortoise and is challenged by him to a race. The hare soon leaves the tortoise behind and, confident of winning, decides to take a nap midway through...
feat, so much so that in Colac, Victoria
Colac, Victoria
Colac is a small city located in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, situated approximately 150 kilometres south-west of Melbourne on the southern shore of Lake Colac and the surrounding volcanic plains, approximately 40 km inland from Bass Strait. Colac is the largest city in and...
, the Cliff Young Australian Six-Day Race was established that same year.
The Westfield run took him five days, 15 hours and four minutes, trimming almost two days off the record for any previous run between Sydney and Melbourne. All of the six competitors who finished the race broke the previous record, but Young beat them by running while they were sleeping.
In 1997 at age 75, he made an attempt to beat Ron Grant's around Australia record and completed 6,520 kilometres of the 16,000-kilometre run, but he had to pull out because his only crew member became ill. In 2000 he achieved a world age record in a six-day race in Victoria.
Personal life
He was a vegetarian from 1973 until his death. He lived at home with his mother and brother Sid. After the race, at 62, Young married Mary Howell, 39 years his junior. The race sponsor, Westfield, hosted the wedding for the entertainment of shoppers. They divorced five years later. Renowned for his then ungainly running style, Young ran more than 20,000 kilometres during his competitive career. After five years of illness, he died of cancer, at 5:21 PM on Sunday, 2 November 2003 at the age of 81.The Young Shuffle
The "Young shuffle" has been adopted by some ultra-marathon runners because it expends less energy. At least three winners of the Sydney to Melbourne race have been known to use the "Young shuffle" to win the race. In 2010, comedienne Hannah GadsbyHannah Gadsby
Hannah Gadsby is an award-winning Australian comedian. She quickly rose to prominence after winning the national final of the Raw Comedy competition for new comedians in 2006...
named her Sydney Comedy Festival show "The Cliff Young Shuffle" in tribute.
External links
- Cliff Young at ultralegends.com
- Cliff Young Rest in Peace