Good Morning Weekend Lovers;
Today I wanted to have a post with a dual function.
- I wanted to share with you the just-after-6am sunrise from my morning walk.
- I wanted to consider WE92: Who inspires?
Let's start with the where though, because honestly, where else would you rather wake up than here?
This is a picture of a rock formation which juts out between two beaches. You can see just how impressive the rocks are by comparing them to our dog, Puddy. Puddy is what you call a beach-lover, and he's quite the risk taker on the rocks. He's a happy little thing.
This is the centre rock from the previous image. In sharing this image, I'd like you to know it's actually quite a personal insight into me - I've often come to this rock to think, to pray, to wonder at the world, to reflect, to admire, or like today - to be. When the cloud cover isn't there, it has a golden reflection from the rising sun. It's an absolutely stunning rock, and I've never seen anyone else sitting on it.
From my rocks, this it the stretch of coast looking north. At the very tip of the coast, that's a place called 'Port Macquarie' - I'm on the Eastern Coast of Australia, about 5hrs north of Sydney.
And this is the beach looking south - the sun usually peaks around that headland.
So that was my morning, sorry about the cloud-cover, it kept the images far more dull than the way they made me feel. All images taken on a Motorola Play mobile phone.
That then brings us to:
We so often wonder: how do we be our best selves? Perhaps the answer is to just give it a go and see what happens. For this week's prompt, I wanted to travel back to 1983 - I wasn't quite yet born, but the 61 year old farmer Cliff Young was certainly coming into his prime.
- You read that right, he was 61.
Good old Cliff decided to give the young ones a bit of competition in the Sydney to Melbourne ultramarathon - an 875km event! For our American mates and the like, that's 544 miles. It's no walk in the park. 1983 was the first time this event was being held - and he thought he'd give it a go. He was not an athlete, and this was his first event.
Upon coming to the start line, he was immediately ridiculed by the media - he looked a bit out of place; his competitors were athletic young men in running shorts, whereas Cliff had on some work pants and boots. He'd just come from the farm - he was a potato farmer of all things, but in his youth he lived on a 2000 acre property, and without any horses or cars to get around, he'd have to go by foot rounding up sheep when the storms would come - he'd often be on foot for a couple of days. This was his secret training.
The media circus quickly laughed at Cliff, and focused on the front of the race. Cliff had a shuffling action which was not quick, and very quickly, he was dead last with a growing margin. The day went on, and Cliff kept shuffling. Night came, and the other athletes in the race took to the side of the road and set up their camps - a standard procedure in these endurance events. It was the accepted wisdom of the race that you would run for 18 hours, and rest for 6, and repeat.
Cliff didn't know this. No one told him that you were supposed to stop, and so he kept on shuffling and as the night went on, he shuffled past all his sleeping competitors. The day came, and the shuffling continued. Night, and day and night and day. All through the race, Cliff just kept on shuffling - taking a few hours break on the New South Wales and Victorian border. Cliff just kept going - and slowly, the media angle changed - no longer was he the eccentric figure from the potato farm who ran in a very odd manner, he was likely to be the winner of the $10,000 prize for crossing the line first. He would be the toast of the ultramarathon scene!
Cliff won the race in a time of 5 days, 15 hours and 4 minutes - nearly 9 hours ahead of his nearest rival. The race was held for another couple of years, the final event was in 1991. Cliff's time would have allowed him to win the race a number of more times in the following years, and podium every event. . His time was enough to set a new world record for the ultramarathon!
Who'd have thought, at 61, that was possible?
And, having had his shuffle laughed at by his competitors; the running scientists (whoever they are) analysed the style and came to understand that the shuffle used up significantly less energy than what you'd consider a traditional running style. In the years that followed, many other ultramarathon runners around the world picked up the technique, the 'Cliff Young Shuffle' and were able to win big races all around the world!
But did he come back to defend his crown?
Absolutely! A 62 year old Cliff Young approached 1984 start line - WITH A DISPLACED HIP!! Again, he ran the entire ultramarathon, WITH A DISPLACED HIP!! He finished 7th place, but I think it's incredible that despite the significant injury he even bothered turning up to the start line. Imagine the pain he would have gone through, but he just kept on keeping on!
To me, that's inspiring - and a need to remember that when I despair, 'I'm too old to do this...' - I'm actually no where near the prime of my life! (26 years to go until I set my own world record then).
If you want to join this weekend's prompt, here's the link:
https://peakd.com/hive-168869/@galenkp/we92-weekend-engagement-posting-topics
What an truly inspiring man! I thought I was just about done and on the downward slide until last year I made a few changes and I'm in better shape mentally, physically, and spiritually at 48 than I ever have been. Thanks for sharing this incredible story!
What a beautiful post, from start to finish, I want to highlight every point.
First of all the photos, what a special view, I've never admired rocks like that, plus your little dog Puddy makes a game in the environment, it's also a beauty.
It's a magical place to reflect, so you should create great things there, hahahaha a little pressure to bring out the genius in you.
Second and last point, this very sobering story made me feel like I was accompanying the lord of the story, that repeated action of the marathon and the factors surrounding it can inspire anyone to achieve their dreams, in your story there are many things to learn, like being focused, believing in yourself, not limiting yourself, having a dream and turning it into a burning desire.
Thank you, I will read your post several times worth the effort.
Greetings and happy weekend @lordtimoty
Hey - thanks for your reply. That Cliff really was an inspirational story, and in the world of elite athletes now-a-days, I don't believe we'll ever see it replicated again. Have a fab weekend, Tim.
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Ah yes, Port Mac is a lovely part of the world and what's better than an early morning walk at the beach? That's right, an early morning at the beach followed by Vegemite on toast and a coffee.
Cliff Young...Yep, I recall watching that chap throughout the course of that road race back in '83. I was a thirteen year old and remember thinking how amazing this chap was. Inspiraitional? For sure. No matter from which angle one looks at this feat of mental attitude and toughness, it's an inspiration.
Thanks for joining in mate. Enjoy the weekend.
I heard about good old Cliff many years ago, and - the story stuck. It's funny, isn't it, that some stories we retain and others are gone minutes later. There was just something magical about this kind of underdog tale - I think it's one I'll hold with me for a very long time to come.
Cliff was a legend. A hard working man off the land who quietly went about things with a dogged determination to succeed. It was ingrained into him to do so and so he never quit. He, and that behaviour, is a good model to follow.
Wow! Such courage and resilience! I doff hat for Sir Cliff!
Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed every bit of it.
I think that through this post, Cliff Young just gained a few more people that have been inspired by his determination to get to that finish line. Pretty awesome feat really.
Pretty sure that the next time someone tells me they feel old, I'll relay this story to them 😄
Thanks for sharing, hope you have a good weekend.
Glad to hear that; he's such a relatable guy too - isn't he? I think that's why his story is so powerful - the underdog wins the day, or something like that. Hope your weekend is fab. Tim
Cliffys from my neck of woods, well not too far from me anyway.
Nice to meet another fellow Aussie.