Australian farmer won a super marathon because I did not know that you can sleep in it



Australian super marathon distance from Sydney to Melbourne is 875 km, which takes more than 5 days from start to finish. The race usually involves world-class athletes who train specially for this event. The majority of athletes are not older than 30 years and are sponsored by major sports brands that provide athletes form and sneakers.
In 1983, many were at a loss when the day of the race at the start there was 61-year-old Cliff Young. At first, everyone thought that he came to see the start of the race, as he was not dressed like all the athletes: in overalls and galoshes over shoes. But when Cliff came to the table to get the race number of the competitor, the all realized that he intends to run with all.
When Cliff was number 64 and got to the line with the other athletes, the camera crew, make reports to the launch pad, he decided to take a short interview. On the Cliff have put the camera and asked:
- Hi! Who are you and what can I do?
- I'm Cliff Young. We breed sheep on a large pasture near Melbourne.
- You're really going to participate in this race
? -. Yes
- Do you have a sponsor
? - No
. - Then you will not be able to run
. - No, I can. I grew up on a farm where we could not afford a horse or a car until very recently: only 4 years ago, I bought a car. When the storm was coming, I went to drive the sheep. We had 2000 sheep that grazed on 2000 acres. Sometimes I would catch the sheep for 2-3 days - it was not easy, but I've always caught them. I think I can participate in the race, because it is only 2 days long and is only 5 days, while I'm running after the sheep for 3 days.

When the marathon started, the pros left Cliff in his galoshes behind. Some viewers sympathized with him, and some laughed at him, because he was not even able to start correctly. On television, people watched Cliff, many worried and prayed for him, that he died on the way.
Every professional knew that to complete the race will take about 5 days to run it every day and 6 hours of sleep neobhodmo 18 hours. Cliff Young did not know this.
The next morning, after the start of people I know that Cliff had not slept, and kept running all night, reaching the town of Mittagong. But even without stopping to sleep Cliff was far behind all the athletes, though, and continued to run, while managing to welcome people standing along the route of the race.
Each night he approached the leaders of the race, and on the last night Cliff bypassed all world-class athletes. He was far ahead of all to the last day of the morning. Cliff not only ran a super marathon at the age of 61, without dying at a distance, but also won it, breaking the record of the race by 9 hours and became a national hero.
Cliff Young overcame the race for 875 kilometers in 5 days, 15 hours and 4 minutes.
Cliff Young did not take himself a single prize. When Cliff was awarded the first prize of A $ 10, 000, he said that he did not know of the existence of the prize, that took part in the race is not for the money, and without hesitation decided to give them the first five athletes who ran after him, for A $ 2, 000 each . Cliff did not leave myself a dime, Australia all fell in love with him.
Many athletes are trained to know the whole technique of how to run and how much time to rest at a distance. The more they were convinced that in the '61 super marathon run impossible. Cliff Young did not know all the same. He did not even know that athletes can sleep. His mind was free from limiting beliefs. He just wanted to win: to represent a sheep escaping and trying to catch up.

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