Potato Farmer Cliff Young Wins Marathon Wearing Gumboots

[Daniel B]

Ok the gumboots is a bit of an exaggeration, but this blew me away.

Now I don't consider myself all that young but i'd never heard of this guy untill the weekend just passed, I thought my dad and uncle were having a lend of me when they told me about it so I thought i'd show them up and do some internet searching.

Well to my amazement it was actually true, all I can say is wow, if only there were more people on earth like this bloke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDggA...eature=related

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Young_%28athlete%29

Anyway, hope you enjoy this story as much as I did.

[RiTz]

I remember Cliff (I'm old) lol
What a legend!

[jaydee]

Yeah thats going back a few years, is the old bugger still kicking.
They did some stories on ACA, real aussie character.

[Trevor 57]

I can't believe that some people haven't heard of him

[Bridgette01]

Originally Posted by Big Trev

I can't believe that some people haven't heard of him

Generation gap

[Lotte]

It freaks me out that people haven't heard of him too, but then, i grew up in colac, so he was a local AND a legend

Ripper bloke, would always have a yarn with you if he came through your work.

[Brute 33]

Australian History.......is that taught in school anymore.? Obviously not......Top bloke ....married a much younger woman too.

[Linkachu]

Originally Posted by Brute 33

Australian History.......is that taught in school anymore.? Obviously not......Top bloke ....married a much younger woman too.

No wonder, with the stamina he had, what a lucky woman

[geckoGT]

I thought his name was firmly entrenched in aussie legend, perhaps I am too old now.

Never forget the images of the old potato farmer, flogging the worlds best using his famous "Cliff Young shuffle".

[buggerlugs]

He died up here a few years ago. We used to go down to Beech Forest when I was an apprentice and you'd see Cliffy in the paddocks running round with his cows .............in the gumboots............

[Trevor 57]

He died in 2003 in his 80's

[EDManual]

I remember seeing him down the otways running down a road years ago.

[XR6_661]

Old man strength and endurance. That's the only explanation.

Some of these old boys have near superhuman strength.

[trippytaka]

Haha! My lord brought back memories for me! I remember that when I was a kid.

[pauljh74]

He wasn't a fast runner, but he kept on running when the other guys slept.

[Chopped]

He was a bit like a Forest Gump type runner, nothing special but he just kept going and going.

[The G6ET Spot]

What a blast from the past this is. it was back in the early 1980s that the Sydney to Melbourne marathon was held.

As other have said Cliff would still be running at night while the other were tucked up in their campers.

I remember heading south past the Wagga turnoff one night only to be confronted by Cliffs van trundling along doing about 5kph in front of me. I wont say what speed I was doing but some of the older truck drivers on here would remember what it was like back then.

Al i could say was that it took about 10 years off my life, scared the crap out of me.

Cliff is nearly as entrenched in folklore as Ned Kelly (well almost)

[gtfpv]

i remember that well , i was 14 at the time . people in thier 30's couldnt keep up with him , some of them tried so hard they were urinating blood .

[Bucknaked]

Didn't Cliffy marry twins back in the 90's?

He was a character. I had wondered what happened to him. Never knew he had died.

He really was a true Australian Character.

[Bridgette01]

I remember, it was the top story on the news, that image of an old man, shuffling along in the middle of the night, sporting gum boots. I forget how many pairs of boots he went through to win the race. Any one remember?

[burnz]

he run's when your asleep...

[Bundy]

Yup definate not your average potato farmer...

[Full Noise]

How could anyone NOT know about Cliff Young?

I tend to remember the horrific accidents this stupid Sydney to Melbourne run used to cause on the “old road” when I was a young bloke in the passenger seat of a semi in those days.

[jpd80]

Cliff Young was gold in the Sydney to Melbourne marathon LINK




but the guy after him, Yiannis Kouros was magic.

[Iggypoppin']

Originally Posted by Full Noise

How could anyone NOT know about Cliff Young?

I tend to remember the horrific accidents this stupid Sydney to Melbourne run used to cause on the “old road” when I was a young bloke in the passenger seat of a semi in those days.

In school we just never got taught about this sort of thing. My old man never mentioned it, my grandparents didn't and my older aunts and uncles didn't either. I'd have liked to know about it sooner(he's an interesting bloke!) but this sort of thing isn't going to be known by everyone in Australia. Back in the day( when you where my age, 22) there'd have been things you or people your age didn't know about that older folk considered general knowledge.

[Rodp]

Phew. I thought I was going bonkers when I saw the thread title thinking I was in a Twilight Zone episode (no, not the fruity movie with the girly vampires) since the guy passed in ~2003(?)

Seemed like a champion bloke, the classic hare and tortoise race.

[buggerlugs]

And that "young" woman he married was a rather friendly girl to................