Having recently seen the ABC telemovie of the same name, I was eager to read this book when I came across it.
It's hard to believe it was 30 years ago that a 61 year old potato farmer from Victoria won the heart of the nation when he not only "shuffled" his way from Sydney to Melbourne in Australia's first ultra marathon - but won by a huge margin. Suddenly this shy, unassuming man was thrust into the national spotlight and the legend of Cliff Young was born.
As with any overnight sensation, there were many rumours and exaggerations that abounded after Cliff's win. Chief among these was that the only training he had ever done was chasing cows on the farm in his gumboots. In reality Cliff had always been a runner, often running forty or fifty kilometres in a session and had completed other marathons before he embarked on the Sydney to Melbourne. Yet his feat was still beyond amazing, given he was so much older than the other participants and had no sophisticated running gear, sports drinks or special high energy foods (as any runner today would have). In fact he survived mainly on a diet of cold spaghetti and baked beans, pumpkin and potatoes. With his trainer believing too much water would cause a stitch, his fluid was also restricted!
This book is written simply but well and was very engaging right from the start. I enjoyed learning of Cliff's background and was interested in his life experiences (which were more varied than I realised). Having served in World War Two (although he did not leave Australia), Cliff regularly left the harsh winters in Victoria to find work in the tropical north before migrating back home around spring.
It was quite amusing to read just how disorganised the inaugural Sydney to Melbourne race was and how "dangerous" by today's standards. Back then the Hume Highway was mainly a two lane road and as the main thoroughfare between Sydney and Melbourne, hundreds of trucks rumbled along it every day. Yet the runners had no safety gear - no high visibility vests or any kind of barrier between them and the oncoming traffic. In fact Cliff was almost hit by a truck as he made his way from the Westfield Shopping Centre where the race began! There were no official checkpoints and the runners were on the honour system, with race officials having no way of knowing that they had officially completed the distance. It was a reminder of just how things have changed in the past three decades and gave rise to a feeling of nostalgia.
The book also touches on the post race years - Cliff's brief marriage to the much younger Mary and further attempts to run other ultra marathons. Although motivated, Cliff never managed to recapture the 1983 experience.
All in all this is a wonderful tribute to a humble, unassuming man who proved you are never too old to chase a dream or inspire others to do the same.
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