Today, let me share the incredible story of Cliff Young, a 61-year-old Australian farmer who defied expectations and ran his way into history. In 1983, during the grueling 875-kilometer Sydney-to-Melbourne Ultramarathon, seasoned athletes lined up in top-of-the-line gear, all under 30 and fully sponsored. Then, Cliff showed up — clad in overalls and galoshes over his work boots. Without any professional training, he simply stood at the starting line and prepared to run like he had herded sheep all his life.

Cliff was born in 1922 to a poor farming family in Victoria, Australia. Growing up on the family’s eight-square-kilometer farm, he had no access to horses or cars for most of his life. So, he became his own transport. When storms hit, Cliff would head out on foot to round up the farm's 2,000 sheep, sometimes running after them for days. At age 57, Cliff discovered long-distance running and decided to pursue it with the same dedication he brought to herding sheep, never once thinking his age was a b…