The distance of the Australian Marathon is 875 kilometers. The route runs from Sydney to Melbourne, and it usually takes more than 5 days from start to finish. This race involves athletes of world class who are specially trained for this event. Most athletes are under the age of 30 and are sponsored by major sports brands that provide athletes with shape and shoes.
In 1983, many were astonished when the 61-year-old Cliff Young appeared on the start day. At first, everyone thought that he came to see the start of the race, because he was not dressed like all the athletes: in a working suit and hats above the shoes. But when Cliff approached the table to get the number of the race participant, everyone realized that he was going to run with everyone.
When Cliff got the number 64 and stood on the line with other athletes, the filming team, making a report from the start site, decided to take a short interview with him. Cliff turned the camera and asked:
and hello! Who are you and what are you doing here?
I am Cliff Young. We breed sheep on a large pasture near Melbourne.
Do you really want to participate in this race?
and yes.
Do you have a sponsor?
and no.
Then you will not be able to run.
No, I can do it. I grew up on a farm where we could not afford horses or a car until the very last time: only 4 years ago I bought a car. When the storm came, I went out to catch the sheep. We had 2,000 sheep that grazed on 2,000 acres. Sometimes I caught sheep for 2-3 days — it wasn’t easy, but I always caught them. I think I can take part in the race because it is only 2 days longer and is only 5 days, while I run after sheep for 3 days.

When the marathon began, the professionals left Cliff in his gallows far behind. Some spectators sympathized with him, and some laughed at him because he could not even start properly.
On television people watched Cliff, many worried and prayed for him that he would not die on the way.
Every professional knew that it would take about 5 days to complete the distance and for this it would take 18 hours a day to run and 6 hours to sleep. Cliff Young did not know that.

The next morning after the launch, people learned that Cliff was not asleep, and continued to run all night, reaching the town of Mittagong. But even without stopping to sleep, Cliff was far behind all athletes, although he continued to run, while having time to greet people standing along the runway.
Every night he approached the leaders of the race, and the last night Cliff overtook all world-class athletes. By the morning, he was far ahead of everyone. Cliff not only ran a super marathon at the age of 61, not dying at the distance, but also won it, breaking the 9 hour race record and becoming a national hero.

Cliff Young ran 875 kilometers in 5 days, 15 hours and 4 minutes.

Cliff Young did not win a prize. When Cliff was awarded the first prize of A$10,000, he said that he did not know about the existence of the prize, that he participated in the race not for money and without consideration decided to give money to the first five athletes who ran after him, A$2,000 each. Cliff didn’t leave a penny for himself, and all of Australia just fell in love with him.

Many trained athletes knew whole techniques about how to run and how much time to rest on the distance. Moreover, they were convinced that it was impossible to run a super marathon at the age of 61. Cliff Young did not know this. He didn’t even know that athletes could sleep. His mind was free from restrictive beliefs. He just wanted to win, imagined a fleeing sheep and tried to catch her. In front of people like Cliff Young, stereotypes fall, and thanks to them people are convinced that their capabilities are beyond the limits they can imagine.
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