The Sidney to Melbourne endurance
race is 875 km and is considered to be one of the world’s most gruelling
ultra-marathons. Due to the demands of
the race, world-class athletes (usually aged less than 30 years old) must undergo
extreme training and are often backed by major sponsors like Nike.
Imagine the start line in
1983…..
A field of aspiring athletes are
warming up when a man, aged 61 years old, turns up wearing farmer’s overalls
and work boots. Initially everyone
assumes he is just another spectator until he collects his race number and goes
to take his place alongside the other athletes.
The organisers become anxious.
Should they allow him to run?
Eventually they come to the conclusion that it is not safe so they tell
him that he is not allowed to take part.
The man immediately questions why he is not allowed to run and asks them
to show him the rules which prohibit him from competing. Unable to find any written rule about age or
dress code that would preclude him from competing the organisers eventually concede
and reluctantly agree that he can run.
Eagerly the crowd and media watch
the race. The whistle blows and the
athletes are away. It is not long before
they are lost in the distance and the man is left well behind. Some of the crowd even begin to snigger as
the man cannot even run properly – he appears to “shuffle” – but most continue
to cheer him on his way whilst fearing for his safety and welfare.
At the end of the first day, the
athletes all break for a 6-hour sleep…except for the man who continues to
shuffle his way through the night. The
following day he continues to jog, running on through the second night, as the
athletes once again rest overnight.
Amazingly the man just keeps running, on and on without a break, slowly
closing the gap between himself and the leading competitors.
By the final night he is in the
lead and on the fifth day crosses the finish line as the winner - to everyone’s
surprise he has not only won the race at the age of 61 years old but has also
set a new course record! All of the six
competitors who manage to complete the race that year break the previous record
but this man succeeds in beating the previous course record by almost two days
with a winning time of 5 days, 15 hours and 4 minutes! No-one can deny this is a truly remarkable
achievement.
Furthermore, when presented with
the prize of $10,000 the man exclaims he had no idea there was a cash
prize. He states that his only aim had
been to take part in the race and he has no need for the money – he then
promptly shares it out amongst his fellow competitors who had completed the
race. This act of generosity is almost
as remarkable as the feat of winning the event and he immediately secures a
place in many Australian hearts.
The man’s name was Cliff
Young. Born in 1922, he had worked most
of his life as a potato and sheep farmer, claiming that his ability to run for
long periods had resulted from running continuously for two or three days at a
time rounding up sheep. During the race
he had successfully motivated himself by imagining he was still trying to find
a lost sheep whilst outrunning a storm.
Cliff Young made a significant impact that year and influenced the
future of the event - competitors no longer rest during the night and now run
continuously just like Cliff Young had done and many ultra-marathon runners
have even adopted the “Young Shuffle” as it is considered more
energy-efficient!
Cliff Young believed he could win
because he never believed he couldn’t!
What an inspiration!
·
It is amazing what all of us can achieve when we
say “I CAN” or “I WILL”, even when it looks like the odds are completely
stacked against us! Strength comes from
within - we need to have a strong positive attitude and believe in ourselves. Establish a goal, focus on it and believe we
can achieve it
·
Hard work pays off – many of the things we
appreciate the most can only be obtained after a significant investment of time
and effort, but these same things also often give us the greatest fulfilment
·
Many people may appear to have been given a head
start in life but these are not always the ones who achieve the most and cross
the finish line first – often it is the one who works the hardest, wants it the
most and enjoys what they do!
·
Taking part and trying is important – if we
never try we will never know just how much we can achieve and we will never
have an opportunity to show others our full potential
·
Never discriminate – always look for the value
and skills in others. Everyone has
potential to achieve great things but may be prevented from doing so by other
people’s misplaced opinions or judgements
·
Not everyone is motivated by money – indeed some
of the greatest motivations in life bear no relation to financial gain at all
·
Be humble – take pride in success but never lose
sight of humility. Remember we all
started somewhere and the greatest respect is given to those who share their
success with those around them
·
Our actions may influence other people – the way
we “shuffle” through life is important!
·
It’s never too late!
“There’s more in you than you think” – Kurt Hahn
“All glory comes from daring to begin” – William Shakespeare
“It’s never too late to be what you might have been” – George Eliot
When the going gets tough, the tough get tougher
There, but for the grace of God, go I……
©
CJC 2012
