Cliff Young (athlete)
Cliff Young OAM | |
---|---|
Born | Albert Ernest Clifford Young 8 February 1922 |
Died | 2 November 2003 Queensland, Australia | (aged 81)
Nationality | Australian |
Known for | Ultramarathon winner at the age of 61 |
Albert Ernest Clifford Young
Early life
Born the eldest son and the third of seven children of Mary and Albert Ernest Young on 8 February 1922, Albert Ernest Clifford Young grew up on a farm in Beech Forest in southwestern Victoria.[1] The family farm was approximately 2,000 acres (810 ha) with approximately 2,000 sheep.[5] As a child, Young was forced to round up the stock on foot, as the family were very poor during the depression and could not afford horses.[1]
Running and ultramarathons
In 1979, at the age of 56, he competed in the Adidas Sun Superun 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) race which crossed the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne. He ran the race at a very respectable 64 minutes and was interviewed by the media.[6]
Cliff then ran the Melbourne Marathon with a time of 3:21:41 in 1979. He would go on to compete in 1980, 1981, and 1982, setting a personal best of 3:02:53 in 1980, aged 58.[7]
In late 1982, after training for months around the
In 1983, now aged 61 years old, Young won the inaugural
Young became very popular after this "
In 1997, at age 75,[13] he made an attempt to beat Ron Grant's around-Australia record. He completed 6,520 kilometres of the 16,000-kilometre run, but had to pull out because his only crew member became ill.[3]
In 2000, Young achieved a world age record in a six-day race in Victoria.[13]
Personal life
Young was a vegetarian from 1973 until his death.[14] He lived at the family home with his mother and brother Sid. Cliff had never married, but after the 1983 race, at 62 years of age, he married 23-year-old Mary Howell. The race sponsor, Westfield, hosted the wedding for the entertainment of shoppers.[8] Young and Howell divorced five years later.[13] Renowned for his ungainly running style, Young ran more than 20,000 kilometres during his competitive career.[13] After five years of illness and several strokes, he died of cancer at the age of 81 on 2 November 2003 at his home in Queensland.[2]
A memorial in the shape of a gumboot in Beech Forest is dedicated to Young and the Cliff Young Drive and Cliff Young Park there are named after him.[citation needed]
"Young Shuffle"
The "Young Shuffle" has been adopted by some ultramarathon runners because it expends less energy.[2] At least three winners of the Sydney-to-Melbourne race were known to use the "Young Shuffle" to win the race.[citation needed] In 2010, comedian Hannah Gadsby named their Sydney Comedy Festival show "The Cliff Young Shuffle" in tribute.[15]
Cliffy telemovie
In May 2013,
Young appeared briefly as himself in an episode (No. 479) of the television drama
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-646-23241-6.
- ^ a b c d "End of the road for Cliff". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 November 2003. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ a b "The Legend of Cliff Young: The 61 Year Old Farmer Who Won the World's Toughest Race". Elitefeet.com. 30 December 2007. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- ^ Cliff Young farmer who outran field, farmprogress.com
- ^ "Cliff Young – the farmer who inspired a nation". my-inspirational-quotes.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2009.
- ^ ""From Gumboots to Glory"" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 March 2019.
- ^ "Search for Runners - Ausrunning". ausrunning.net. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
- ^ a b c McGirr, Michael (8 November 2003). "Running the Good Race". The Age. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- The Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ISBN 978-1-922079-86-2
- ^ "When age and modesty won the race". The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 November 2003. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
- ^ "Young, Albert Ernest Clifford". It's an Honour. Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
26 Jan 1984 ... for long distance running
- ^ a b c d Willis, Louise (3 November 2003). "Cliff Young dies aged 81". The World Today. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- ^ Jamieson, Tania (Winter 1997). "Interview with Cliff Young". New Vegetarian and Natural Health. coolrunning.com.au: 40. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ^ Humphries, David (30 April 2020). "From the Archives, 1983: Cliff Young "shuffles" from Sydney to Melbourne". The Age. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ "Cliffy". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
External links
- Media related to Cliff Young (athlete) at Wikimedia Commons
- Cliff Young Rest in Peace