Cliff grew up on a 2,000 acre sheep farm in Australia with about 2,000 sheep. For you math majors out there that’s an acre per sheep. However, don’t think for one second that he rode around on a fancy 4-wheeler rounding them up. No way. Cliff spent the better part of his growing up years literally “running” down the sheep on foot.
In 1983, at 61 years old, Cliff Young entered the Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultra-marathon, a 544-mile race from Sydney to Melbourne. These races normally take days to finish. Try running a normal marathon 20 times in a row and then come talk Cliff Young about how awesome you are. He’ll just say “Crikey” and then laugh in your face. Yeah, and don’t think for one moment that this old codger would be satisfied with just finishing this ultra-marathon – he’s in it to win it.
After months of preparation, all the other runners showed up in their fancy running gear, and top-of-the-line running shoes. Within this group of runners stood one man that didn’t fit the mold of the other 150 competitors. He wasn’t swagged out with an Adidas track suit and the newest Nikes.
No…Cliff Young showed up to the race wearing a pair of overalls and Wellington boots, a staple of hunting and outdoor wear for the British aristocracy in the early 19th century.
Folks thought that this was nothing more than a publicity stunt gone wrong. The officials at the race almost didn’t let Cliff compete because Young didn’t have any sponsors. They told him he was crazy and could never even finish. Cliff explained:
“Sometimes I would have to run those sheep for two or three days. It took a long time, but I’d catch them. I believe I can run this race; it’s only two more days. Five days. I’ve run sheep for three”
They eventually let Cliff run. As the race begun, the runners left Cliff sucking on their dust. Spectators even smirked because he didn’t even run properly. He appeared to run leisurely, shuffling like an amateur. This style of running became known as the “Young Shuffle.”
All the professional runners trained to run 18 hours a day and sleep for the remaining six. Cliff had his own agenda. He ran all through the night. As the morning of the second day came, everyone was surprised. Not only was Cliff still in the race, but he had continued to jog through the night. With no formal training or coaching, he never knew that runners rested in ultra marathons. He just assumed they ran the entire race until it finished.
As the days passed, Cliff crept closer to the world class runners. By the fifth and final night of the race, he had surpassed all the other athletes. He was the first competitor to cross the finish line with a record-setting time: five days, 15-hours and four minutes.
Cliff received $10,000 dollars for winning the race, but didn’t keep a cent for himself. He gave the five other runners who finished $2,000 each, which further endeared him to all of Australia.
