006 // This is the unlikely story of a 61 year-old farmer

who won an ultramarathon - with no training.

In 1983, a 61 year-old potato farmer by the name of Cliff Young showed up to the Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon wearing overalls and his trusted work-boots. No qualifications, Nike sponsorships or team.

The race was a grueling 544 miles.

Before approaching the starting line, he popped his false teeth out of his mouth, later citing that they rattled when he ran.

The starting gun sounded and the runners jumped off the line at a quick pace. Not Cliff. Cliff staggered forward with an awkward shuffle: back straight, arms dangling, feet shuffling.

For 18 hours cliff ate the dust of the professional runners.

And then the night came. In a 544 miles race, runners run for 18 hours and sleep for 6 hours -- rinse and repeat for 5, 6 or 7 days.

Cliff wasn't aware of this race format. So as all the young professional runners pulled off the side of the road to sleep, Cliff continued shuffling into the night. Back on his farm, with no horses or 4-wheelers, he would often run continuously for 2-3 days rounding up sheep. Farm life knew no breaks.

And so Cliff ran for 5 continuous days. Never stopping once. He took the lead after day won and never looked back, winning the race by an astounding 10 hours. He beat the previous record by nearly two days.

Upon winning, he was awarded $10,000. Cliff didn't know there was a prize. He reasoned that all the other runners worked just as hard as him, so he divided the prize up evenly between the other 5 runners. He handed them their share as they finished, keeping none for himself.

When asked what kept him going during the race, he said: "I imagined running after sheep trying to outrun a storm."

Takeaways:

• Living healthy is often a byproduct of living in your purpose
• Intrinsic motivation > external rewards. Cliff didn't run for money. He ran because he was a runner. Don't eat healthy to lose weight. Eat healthy because you value yourself and those around you. Weight loss will follow.
• Consistency is crucial for longevity in health. Find what you can do consistently.
• The human body is capable of far beyond what our minds can reason.
• You can be healthier at 61 than you are right now. You decide.

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To your body's wealth,

TOMMY

// if you need help in any specific way, hit reply and let's talk.

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Email Archive:

​001 // Step 1 to a Healthy Life​

​002 // Your Body Runs on Clocks [Circadian Health]​

​003 // Sleep's Connection to Eating Healthy​

​004 // Make Movement A Movement​

​005 // What Mice Taught Us About Eating Healthy​