I love running. Running provides this satisfying feeling after I am done. When I run by myself, I use the time to think creatively and listen to music, or interesting podcasts. Running with my friends is even more satisfying, not to mention, FUN! 

Years ago, I heard about a potato farmer who ran the Melbourne Endurance Race at age 61 named Cliff Young. This race is 544 miles from Sydney to Melbourne. Most seasoned runners finished the race in about seven days. 

But in 1983, that changed when Young showed up in his workboots and overalls to run the race. Other racers were skeptical as well as onlookers. The race started, and Young had this kind of shuffle run that made him stand out even more from the other runners. The first night, he was way behind the others. While others slept eight hours, he woke up at 2:00 a.m. and started his shuffle. By day three he was one of the contenders to win the race! He did not sleep for three days straight and won! He set a new world record.

No one had ever tried running through the night, and because of his unique tactic, this way of running the Melbourne race has been adopted since then. Even his shuffle run has been used by elite athletes. Growing up on a farm, Young said his family could not afford horses or tractors, and when there was a storm, he had to run, sometimes for two to three days to round up their sheep on their 2000 acres.

Young was surprised that the prize for winning the race was $10,000. He ended up sharing a lot of the money with the other top runners. Young inspires me so much. 

Helen Keller said, “Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all.”