Unnecessary boundaries and invisible limitations sometimes hold people back. However, the very things that make you who you are also make you able to do things no one else can. What follows is the amazing story of Cliff Young and how he did what everyone thought was impossible.
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STORY: The Cliff Young Shuffle Legend
How in the world did Cliff Young, a scrawny, socially awkward 61-year-old potato farmer with no professional training, beat 10 of the world’s most professional runners in a 544-mile race?
The Sydney-to-Melbourne race in 1983 was considered one of the world’s most difficult physical tests. It stretched over 875 kilometers (or 544 miles) over hills and flats and would take contestants six or seven days to complete. The contestants could eat or sleep wherever they wanted, and the winner would be awarded $10,000. Professional runners from all over the world with big corporate backing competed for the prize.
Yet, Cliff Young, an unknown farmer who chased dairy cows and sheep in gumboot galoshes, showed up to the race with holes cut in his pants for ventilation and with no teeth (he said his false teeth rattled when he ran).
“It looks like this guy is going to keel over with the next wind,” mocked someone in the crowd. “What is he thinking?”
When the race began, the professional runners took off. Cliff began to shuffle. Yes, shuffle. Officials were concerned he would collapse on the road. But that night when the others stopped to sleep for 4 to 6 hours, Cliff slept for 2 and kept going and took the lead. The second day, after non-stop running, he slept only an hour. By the third day, because of his non-stop running his lead grew bigger and the whole nation took notice. His secret was in his shuffle, which allowed him to run for hours with little rest.
When people were dumbfounded by his technique, he responded, “I’ve got no experience. Just born and bred in the bush.”
The newspaper reported[1] that, “when he got to the front, he ran like a scared rabbit. He didn’t want to stop. Everyone was going, ‘Oh, this old bloke’s just gotta blow up.’ He was just miles and miles in front — he covered 200 miles in the first 48 hours. And he did not want to stop.”
Cliff Young finished 10 hours ahead of everyone else. He literally made one of the biggest runs in history. He took the $10,000 prize and split it up with the other runners keeping none of it for himself. Cliff Young became a legend.
End of Story
[1] You can read more about this story from the news at the time: Here is an article from The Herald http://www.theherald.com.au/story/1382571/forever-young-the-cliff-young-story/
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