In 1983, an unexpected figure, 61-year-old Australian potato farmer Cliff Young, captured international attention by winning the Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon, a grueling ultra-distance race spanning approximately 875 km (544 miles). Young’s remarkable performance not only became a defining moment in ultramarathon history but also offered insights into the physiological demands of extreme endurance events and how they interact with age, training, and biomechanics.
An ultramarathon is any footrace longer than the standard marathon distance of 42.2 km (26.2 miles). Events can be single-stage races of dozens to hundreds of kilometers, multi-day stage races, or ultra-distance challenges across varied terrain. These races place prolonged demands on multiple body systems, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, metabolic, and neurological, well beyond typical endurance events.
Albert Ernest Clifford “Cliff” Young was born on February 8, 1922, in Beech Forest, Victoria, Australia. He grew up on a 2,000-acre family farm with his parents, Mary and Albert Ernest Young, and several siblings. Much of his early adult life was spent working the farm, rounding up sheep, driving cattle, and navigating rough terrain on foot, experiences later cited as building foundational endurance conditioning.
A life-long farmer with no formal athletic training, Young regularly ran the hilly landscape of Victoria’s Otway Ranges while herding livestock and performing daily farm tasks. His unique running style, a steady, slow gait that later was the “Cliff Young Shuffle”, developed from this unstructured condition and proved highly energy-efficient over extreme distances.
The Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon, held annually from 1983 to 1991, was one of the world’s longest and most demanding footraces. Sponsored by the Westfield Group, it covered approximately 875 km between Westfield Parramatta (Sydney) and Westfield Doncaster (Melbourne) over multiple days, testing endurance, strategy, and resilience, where Cliff Young won it for the first time.
At the race start in 1983, Young appeared ill-prepared by elite athletic standards, wearing overalls, work boots, and a simple cotton shirt rather than specialized running gear. He had no coach, formal training regimen, or professional support team. Many competitors assumed he was joking when he entered.
However, what set Young apart was his endurance tactic. Unlike most runners who ran long daytime legs followed by rest or sleep, Young kept moving continuously through night after night after he woke up the first night at 2am. This unexpected strategy gave him a significant advantage as other competitors spent hours sleeping while he accumulated controlled, continuous distance.
After 5 days, 15 hours, and 4 minutes, Young crossed the finish line more than 10 hours ahead of the second place competitor, setting a new course record. His energy-efficient shuffle, combined with persistent forward movement, effectively overcame both the chronological and physical advantages held by younger, trained runners.
Ultramarathons push the human body far beyond marathon distances, creating physiological stress across organ systems:
Energy Deficit: Continuous exercise for days can lead to significant caloric deficits if energy intake cannot match output.
Fluid and Electrolyte Imbalance: High sweat loss and replacement challenges may lead to hyponatremia (low sodium), risking nausea, headaches, or more severe impairment.
Musculoskeletal Strain: Skeletal muscles, joints, and connective tissue sustain prolonged microtrauma, potentially raising creatine kinase levels and musculoskeletal injury risk.
Cardiovascular Response: Biomarkers may rise, indicating cardiac stress; most changes are temporary in healthy individuals, but monitoring is essential. 3
Sleep Deprivation: Multi-day events intensify fatigue, affecting cognition, coordination, and performance.
Medical and athletic experts emphasize that successful ultramarathon participation requires:
Structured Training: Progressive mileage increases with rest and recovery phases.
Nutrition Planning: Adequate caloric intake and electrolyte balance before, during, and after training runs.
Hydration Strategy: Managing fluid intake to avoid dehydration or hyponatremia.
Biomechanical Conditioning: Strength and flexibility work to protect joints and soft tissues.
These preparations help mitigate acute risks and long-term strain that endurance running can impose.
After his 1983 victory, Young’s story became symbolic of perseverance. He continued running ultradistance events into later years, including multi-day races in his 70s and beyond. Young died on November 2, 2003, in Queensland at the age of 81, after fighting cancer, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire runners and endurance enthusiasts.
Cliff Young’s individual journey from potato farmer to ultramarathon champion highlights the interplay between lifelong physical activity, unorthodox endurance strategies, and the extraordinary demands of ultra-distance running.
References
ABC News Australia. “Cliff Young: Potato Farmer Who Ran from Sydney to Melbourne.” ABC News, March 24, 2025.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-24/cliff-young-potato-farmer-who-ran-from-sydney-to-melbourne/105023078.
Marathons.com. “Cliff Young: The Ultra-Marathon Farmer.” Marathons.com, n.d.
https://www.marathons.com/en/featured-stories/cliff-young-the-ultra-marathon-farmer/.
Knechtle, Beat, et al. “Physiological and Pathophysiological Responses to Ultramarathon Running.” Sports Medicine 45, no. 1 (2015): 1–22.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3885517/.
Trail Runner Magazine. “Health Risks Associated with Ultramarathons.” Trail Runner Magazine, n.d.
https://www.trailrunnermag.com/training/health-risks-associated-with-ultramarathons/.
