Several years ago I was really inspired by a story about a man by the name of Cliff Young. Let me tell you about him but let me give you a little background information first.
The World’s Longest and Toughest Marathon
Every Year Australia holds what is said to be the longest and toughest marathon in the world. As you are probably aware, most marathons are a little over 26 miles. This one is an endurance race from Sydney to Melbourne, Australia. It is 875 kilometers long. For us Americans that is a little over 543.5 miles. Yes, that’s right 543.5 miles. Most of us don’t drive that far. Remember – this is a Marathon. It takes 5 days to complete.
Normally world class athletes compete in this race. They train especially for it. The majority of men and women who do compete are under 30 years of age. Each has a sponsor that provides them with the best training outfits and shoes money can provide.
The Illogical Contestant – Cliff Young – A Potato Farmer
On the day the race started back in 1983 a man named Cliff Young walked up to the entrant’s table to take his number. He was the most unlikely contestant. He was 61 years old. Rather than a training outfit and fancy shoes, he had on overalls and work boots with galoshes over them.
The other entrants and spectators thought that it was a big publicity stunt. The reporters focused on him. They found out that he was a potato and sheep farmer from outside of Melbourne. Their farm was 2,000 acres and they had 2,000 sheep on it. Whenever a storm rolled in, Cliff had to go out and round the sheep up. He rounded them up by running after them. Frequently it would take him two or three days before he finished.
The Race Itself
At the start of the race all of the other contestants left Cliff behind in their dust. The spectators chuckled, Instead of running like the others, he shuffled like an amateur and ran slowly. The race was broadcast on television. Many who watched him prayed that someone would stop him. They feared that he’d die before reaching the halfway point.
All of the professional athletes would run for 18 hours and sleep for 6. Not Cliff. He jogged all night and kept on without stopping at all. He was far behind the runners but he just kept on going. By the last night he caught up to everyone. By the last day he was far in front of them.
Not only did he win the race, he won in record time beating the old record by 9 hours. In the process he became a national hero in Australia.
First Prize – $10,000
When they went to give Cliff the first prize of $10,000, he said that he did not know that there was a prize for winning the race. He added that he did not enter the race for the money. He gave five of the other runners $2,000 each. He kept none of the prize money for himself.
Cliff’s Impact
I am sure that Cliff’s story has impacted you the same way it impacted me.
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Here is a 61 year old man competing in a race over 540 miles long. Most men would never dream of doing anything like that at any point in their lifetime especially at 61.
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He competed against men and women half his age. They started off very quickly and that did not concern him. He just kept going at his slow methodical pace.
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He had no idea that he was supposed to run only so many hours each day. He kept on going and going.
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He was in the race just for the thrill of competing. He had no idea that there was prize money. When he found out, he gave it all away.
When I read about men like Cliff, I am inspired to believe that when we set our mind to do something we are passionate about, we can succeed even though the odds may seemingly be stacked against us.
I also see that it is never too late to start something we enjoy at any age in our lives.
The real thrill comes not from winning the grand prize but just competing up to our ability. In any contest our real competition is not the other contestants, our real competition is ourselves.
Bob Paroski
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