Cliff Young On Record Pace
15 May 1997Australian ultra-marathon runner Cliff Young, making light of his 75 years, remains on target to break one of the world's toughest running records, his support team said Wednesday. The potato farmer is now in Perth, WA, and on schedule to better the 14-year-old record for the demanding round-Australia road slog, a distance of 13,383 kilometres (8,316 miles), they said.
Young, who left Melbourne on February 28, has completed 4,155km (2,580 miles) in 67 days - averaging just over 62km (38.5 miles) a day. He is aiming to beat the 1983 performance of Australian Ron Grant, who completed the round-Australia route in 217 days, three hours, 45 minutes.
Young, a vegetarian from the state of Victoria, runs for 12 hours each day and has six meals to maintain his energy level. He has calculated he will wear out 30 pairs of running shoes during his trip.
