June 1, 2023 • 8 mins
When a 61-year-old potato and sheep farmer from regional Victoria lined up for the 1983 Ultramarathon, the athletic world didn't know what to think. Wearing overalls and gumboots, Cliff Young certainly didn't look the part. But as the race got underway, Cliff's opponents realised they were up against a very serious competitor.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
In nineteen eighty three, the inaugural Sydney to Melbourne Ultra
Marathon was one of the world's most grueling foot races,
spanning five days and eight hundred and seventy five kilometers.
On the first day, the experienced competitors turned up in
their name brand athletic gear and running shoes, well prepared
(00:24):
for the long distance event, except one man named Cliff Young,
who appeared to be a little out of his depth.
Cliff was a sixty one year old potato and sheep
farmer from regional Victoria, and here he was at the
starting line, ready to compete, wearing overalls and gum boots. Hi.
(00:50):
Welcome to the poolroom, where we celebrate the winners, losers
and the weird stuff between. Tony Armstrong. Cliff Young decided
(01:17):
to take up running when he was fifty six years old,
at a time when fun runs were just becoming popular
in Australia. Cliff's first ever race was a sixteen kilometer
event in Melbourne in nineteen seventy nine. People didn't take
him seriously, but he managed to complete the course in
sixty four minutes. That was just the start, though Cliff
(01:41):
entered more and more races they got longer and more difficult,
but an ultra marathon would be an entirely different challenge.
They're grueling, multi day races where runners only stopped to sleep.
Cliff's preparation for the marathon wasn't typical for this kind
of event. Without a fitness trainer and having limited experience,
(02:04):
he only had friends and locals from his community supporting him.
Cliff's training involved jogging around his town and staying active
on his farm, tending to his cows and sheep. Cliff's
diet for the race was potatoes, oatmeal, pasta, and ice cream.
(02:29):
When you're doing an ultramarathon, runners can expect all kinds
of weather conditions. To do well, you need to adapt
on the fly, but that usually doesn't mean running in
overalls and gum boots. When Cliff turned up on the
first day of the Sydney to Melbourne race wearing his
farmer's clothes, people were confused. Is this guy lost? They thought,
(02:50):
But Cliff shrugged it off and lined up with his
ten fellow runners. As the race got underway, the pack
was quickly split into two groups. About twenty kilometers in,
the five leading runners took a wrong turn and thended
up a kilometer off course. At this point, Cliff nearly
(03:10):
followed them, but another runner in the second group called
out to let him know he was heading the wrong way.
As the evening approached on day one, most of the
runners had covered about ninety kilometers before stopping for dinner
and asleep, but Cliff kept going. It was around two
(03:31):
am in the morning when he fell over and hurt
his shoulder. This could have been game over for Cliff,
but fortunately the pain wasn't too bad. He finally decided
to rest and grabbed some sleep in the caravan, which
his support team of friends were towing behind him. Just
two hours later, though Cliff was awake, one of his
(03:52):
crew members had set the wrong time on the alarm,
so Cliff was up and running again. While his competitors
were sleeping. He was pushing on and even overtaking them.
I'm just an old tortoise, said Cliff. I have to
keep going to stay in front. As the race continued,
(04:14):
Cliff adapted to the conditions. He changed into a tracksuit
and went through several pairs of running shoes, but still
his technique and race strategy were completely out of the ordinary.
Cliff realized he could survive on minimal sleep, and that
gave him an edge over his competitors. Cliff also had
a unique running style, which was dubbed the Cliff Young Shuffle.
(04:38):
It was kind of a cross between a powerwalk and
a jog. No one had ever seen anything like it
in a marathon before, but it appeared to help Cliff
run further for longer. By day three of the race,
one runner had already dropped out. Cliff was still going, though,
and not only was he still going, he gained a
(04:58):
thirty five klum a lead. I'll show these jokeers a
thing or two before I reached Melbourne. He said, no
one thought Cliff had a chance, but he was beginning
to prove them wrong. By this point, news of his
unlikely lead began to make national headlines. He was interviewed
on TV as he ran, and people lined the streets
to cheer him on as he passed through towns. On
(05:26):
day four, a second competitor withdrew nine runners remained. Cliff
was still leading when he reached the town of Aubrey
and decided to take a nap for a couple of hours,
but he was awoken suddenly by a voice at the
door of the caravan. Hello, old buddy, I've caught you
sleep tight. It was one of the other runners who
(05:48):
had finally caught up to him. Cliff was startled. He
got up immediately, quickly got dressed and started to run,
determined to catch them. Eventually, his opponent needed to rest,
so Cliff kept going and regained his lead. Cliff's progress
(06:12):
was being followed very closely now, and as he approached Melbourne,
he realized he'd become somewhat of a celebrity. Everyone wanted
to get a glimpse of Australia's new national hero. Cliff
just smiled and waved and kept on shuffling. On the
final day, Cliff passed through Melbourne as thousands lined the
(06:33):
streets to cheer him towards the finish. Police closed off
roads to clear the path, but they couldn't do much
to hold back the crowds. Some locals even joined Cliff,
running alongside him for moral support. Nothing could stop Cliff now.
It was shortly after one pint thirty in the morning
(06:55):
when Cliff finally crossed the finish line. To everyone's amazement,
he completed the Ultra marathon in five days fifteen hours
and four minutes across the whole race, he only slept
about twelve hours. A large crowd gathered for the presentation ceremony.
Cliff was awarded a check for ten thousand dollars, most
(07:17):
of which he donated to charity and gifted to his
support team and other runners in the race. After the presentation,
Cliff was carried off stage his legs had finally given up.
Over the following days, Cliff made endless public appearances, meeting
fans and giving interviews. He assured people that success and
(07:40):
attention would never change him. He'd go back to his
normal life on the farm, and that's exactly what he did.
But he also left a legacy for the sport. The
Cliff Young Shuffle was recognized as a running style that
expends less energy, and to this day it's the preferred
technique for long distance runners around the world. I'm Tony
(08:26):
Armstrong and you've been listening to the poolroom and iHeart production.
Catch you next time for more incredible sports yarns
In nineteen eighty three, the inaugural Sydney to Melbourne Ultra
Marathon was one of the world's most grueling foot races,
spanning five days and eight hundred and seventy five kilometers.
On the first day, the experienced competitors turned up in
their name brand athletic gear and running shoes, well prepared
(00:24):
for the long distance event, except one man named Cliff Young,
who appeared to be a little out of his depth.
Cliff was a sixty one year old potato and sheep
farmer from regional Victoria, and here he was at the
starting line, ready to compete, wearing overalls and gum boots. Hi.
(00:50):
Welcome to the poolroom, where we celebrate the winners, losers
and the weird stuff between. Tony Armstrong. Cliff Young decided
(01:17):
to take up running when he was fifty six years old,
at a time when fun runs were just becoming popular
in Australia. Cliff's first ever race was a sixteen kilometer
event in Melbourne in nineteen seventy nine. People didn't take
him seriously, but he managed to complete the course in
sixty four minutes. That was just the start, though Cliff
(01:41):
entered more and more races they got longer and more difficult,
but an ultra marathon would be an entirely different challenge.
They're grueling, multi day races where runners only stopped to sleep.
Cliff's preparation for the marathon wasn't typical for this kind
of event. Without a fitness trainer and having limited experience,
(02:04):
he only had friends and locals from his community supporting him.
Cliff's training involved jogging around his town and staying active
on his farm, tending to his cows and sheep. Cliff's
diet for the race was potatoes, oatmeal, pasta, and ice cream.
(02:29):
When you're doing an ultramarathon, runners can expect all kinds
of weather conditions. To do well, you need to adapt
on the fly, but that usually doesn't mean running in
overalls and gum boots. When Cliff turned up on the
first day of the Sydney to Melbourne race wearing his
farmer's clothes, people were confused. Is this guy lost? They thought,
(02:50):
But Cliff shrugged it off and lined up with his
ten fellow runners. As the race got underway, the pack
was quickly split into two groups. About twenty kilometers in,
the five leading runners took a wrong turn and thended
up a kilometer off course. At this point, Cliff nearly
(03:10):
followed them, but another runner in the second group called
out to let him know he was heading the wrong way.
As the evening approached on day one, most of the
runners had covered about ninety kilometers before stopping for dinner
and asleep, but Cliff kept going. It was around two
(03:31):
am in the morning when he fell over and hurt
his shoulder. This could have been game over for Cliff,
but fortunately the pain wasn't too bad. He finally decided
to rest and grabbed some sleep in the caravan, which
his support team of friends were towing behind him. Just
two hours later, though Cliff was awake, one of his
(03:52):
crew members had set the wrong time on the alarm,
so Cliff was up and running again. While his competitors
were sleeping. He was pushing on and even overtaking them.
I'm just an old tortoise, said Cliff. I have to
keep going to stay in front. As the race continued,
(04:14):
Cliff adapted to the conditions. He changed into a tracksuit
and went through several pairs of running shoes, but still
his technique and race strategy were completely out of the ordinary.
Cliff realized he could survive on minimal sleep, and that
gave him an edge over his competitors. Cliff also had
a unique running style, which was dubbed the Cliff Young Shuffle.
(04:38):
It was kind of a cross between a powerwalk and
a jog. No one had ever seen anything like it
in a marathon before, but it appeared to help Cliff
run further for longer. By day three of the race,
one runner had already dropped out. Cliff was still going, though,
and not only was he still going, he gained a
(04:58):
thirty five klum a lead. I'll show these jokeers a
thing or two before I reached Melbourne. He said, no
one thought Cliff had a chance, but he was beginning
to prove them wrong. By this point, news of his
unlikely lead began to make national headlines. He was interviewed
on TV as he ran, and people lined the streets
to cheer him on as he passed through towns. On
(05:26):
day four, a second competitor withdrew nine runners remained. Cliff
was still leading when he reached the town of Aubrey
and decided to take a nap for a couple of hours,
but he was awoken suddenly by a voice at the
door of the caravan. Hello, old buddy, I've caught you
sleep tight. It was one of the other runners who
(05:48):
had finally caught up to him. Cliff was startled. He
got up immediately, quickly got dressed and started to run,
determined to catch them. Eventually, his opponent needed to rest,
so Cliff kept going and regained his lead. Cliff's progress
(06:12):
was being followed very closely now, and as he approached Melbourne,
he realized he'd become somewhat of a celebrity. Everyone wanted
to get a glimpse of Australia's new national hero. Cliff
just smiled and waved and kept on shuffling. On the
final day, Cliff passed through Melbourne as thousands lined the
(06:33):
streets to cheer him towards the finish. Police closed off
roads to clear the path, but they couldn't do much
to hold back the crowds. Some locals even joined Cliff,
running alongside him for moral support. Nothing could stop Cliff now.
It was shortly after one pint thirty in the morning
(06:55):
when Cliff finally crossed the finish line. To everyone's amazement,
he completed the Ultra marathon in five days fifteen hours
and four minutes across the whole race, he only slept
about twelve hours. A large crowd gathered for the presentation ceremony.
Cliff was awarded a check for ten thousand dollars, most
(07:17):
of which he donated to charity and gifted to his
support team and other runners in the race. After the presentation,
Cliff was carried off stage his legs had finally given up.
Over the following days, Cliff made endless public appearances, meeting
fans and giving interviews. He assured people that success and
(07:40):
attention would never change him. He'd go back to his
normal life on the farm, and that's exactly what he did.
But he also left a legacy for the sport. The
Cliff Young Shuffle was recognized as a running style that
expends less energy, and to this day it's the preferred
technique for long distance runners around the world. I'm Tony
(08:26):
Armstrong and you've been listening to the poolroom and iHeart production.
Catch you next time for more incredible sports yarns
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