Jump to content

Ron Clarke

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other people with the same name, seeRonald Clarke (disambiguation).

Ron Clarke
AO,MBE
Mayor of the Gold Coast
In office
25 March 2004(2004-03-25)– 27 February 2012(2012-02-27)
DeputyDaphne McDonald
Preceded byGary Baildon
Succeeded byTom Tate
Personal details
Born
Ronald William Clarke

(1937-02-21)21 February 1937
Melbourne,Victoria,Australia
Died17 June 2015(2015-06-17)(aged 78)
Southport,Queensland,Australia
Political partyIndependent
SpouseHelen Clarke
OccupationAthlete
Sports career
Height183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight72 kg (159 lb)
SportAthletics
Event(s)5,000, 10,000 m,marathon
ClubGlenhuntly Athletics Club
Sports achievements and titles
Personalbest(s)5,000 m – 13:16.6 (1966)
10,000 m – 27:39.89 (1965)
Marathon – 2:20:26 (1964)[1][2]
Medal record
Men'sathletics
RepresentingAustralia
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1964 Tokyo 10,000 metres
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place 1962 Perth 3 miles
Silver medal – second place 1966 Kingston 3 miles
Silver medal – second place 1966 Kingston 6 miles
Silver medal – second place 1970 Edinburgh 10,000 metres

Ronald William Clarke,AO,MBE(21 February 1937 – 17 June 2015) was an Australian athlete, writer, and theMayor of the Gold Coastfrom 2004 to 2012. He was one of the best-known middle- and long-distance runners in the 1960s, notable for setting seventeenworld records.

Early life and family[edit]

Clarke was born 21 February 1937 inMelbourne,Victoria.[1]He attended Essendon Primary School, Essendon High School (now part ofEssendon Keilor College) andMelbourne High School.His brotherJack Clarkeand fatherTomplayed Australian rules football in theVictorian Football LeaguewithEssendon.He was a qualified accountant.[3]

In 1956, when Clarke was still a promising 19-year-old, he was chosento lighttheOlympic Flamein theMelbourne Cricket Groundduring the opening ceremonies of the1956 Summer OlympicsinMelbourne.[4]

Athletic career[edit]

During the 1960s, Clarke won 9 Australian championships[5]and 12 Victorian track championships ranging from 1500 m to 6 miles (9.7 km).

Ron Clarke (in third place and second from left behind #615) at the 1964 Summer Olympics. At the fore areBilly Mills(722) andMohammed Gammoudi(615).

He won the bronze medal in the 10,000 metre (m) race at the1964 Summer Olympicswhen he was upset byBilly Mills,and never won an Olympic gold medal.[1]However,Emil Zátopekgave him one of his own gold medals, which Clarke described as one of his most cherished presents. At the1968 Summer OlympicsinMexico City,Clarke collapsed and nearly died fromaltitude sicknesssustained during the gruelling 10,000 m race final. Despite training in theAlpsto get acclimatised to high altitudes at Mexico City, this could not put him on par with many opponents from Africa, who had always run at high altitude (with the notable exception of 5,000 m gold medalist and 10,000 m bronze medalistMohammed Gammoudiof Tunisia, who was born and lived not far above sea level). Clarke finished in sixth place,[1]but remembered nothing of the last lap. He recovered sufficiently to compete in the 5,000 metre heats a few days later.[6]

In the1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games,he won silver in the3-mile event,and in the1966 Gameshe won silver medals in the 3 miles (4.8 km) and 6 miles (9.7 km) events.[7]

During a 44-day European tour in 1965, he competed 18 times and broke 12 world records, including the 20,000 m (12.4 miles). On 10 July, at London'sWhite City Stadium,he became the first man to run 3 miles in under 13 minutes, lowering the world record to 12:52.4. Four days later, in Oslo, he lowered his own 10,000 m world record by 36.2 seconds to 27:39.4, becoming the first man to break the 28 minute barrier.[8][9]

World records[edit]

Distance Time /
distance 		Location Date Note
5000 m 13:34.8 Hobart,Australia 1965-01-16[10]
5000 m 13:33.6 Auckland,New Zealand 1965-02-01[11]
5000 m 13:25.8 Los Angeles, United States 1965-06-04[12]
5000 m 13:16.6 Stockholm,Sweden 1966-07-05[13]
10,000 m 28:15.6 Melbourne,Australia 1963-12-18[14]
10,000 m 27:39.4 Oslo,Norway 1965-07-14[15]
20,000 m 59:22.8 Geelong,Australia 1965-10-27[16] As part of 1-hour world record.
1 hour 20,232 m Geelong,Australia 1965-10-27[16]
2 miles 8:19.8 Västerås,Sweden 1967-07-27[17]
2 miles 8:19.6 London, England 1968-08-24[18]
3 miles 13:07.6 Melbourne,Australia 1964-12-03[19]
3 miles 13:00.4 Los Angeles, United States 1965-06-04 As part of 5000 m world record.
3 miles 12:52.4 London, England 1965-07-10
3 miles 12:50.4 Stockholm,Sweden 1966-07-05[17] As part of 5000 m world record.
6 miles 27:17.8 Melbourne,Australia 1963-12-18[14]
6 miles 26:47.0 Oslo,Norway 1965-07-14[15] As part of 10,000 m world record
10 miles 47:12.8 Melbourne,Australia 1965-03-04[20]

In 1965, Clarke beat the 10,000-metre world record inTurku,Finland, with a time of 28:14.0; however, it was never ratified, as it was said that permission to run was requested too late.[9][21]

Political career[edit]

He was electedmayor of the Gold Coastin2004,defeating incumbentGary Baildon.Clarke and his wife, Helen, first came to the Gold Coast for a holiday in 1957. The couple returned almost every year thereafter, and in 1995, after 14 years abroad, mainly in Europe, came back for good.[22]He was re-elected in2008.[23]

Clarke resigned as Mayor of the Gold Coast on 27 February 2012, when he announced his nomination to run as an independent candidate for the seat ofBroadwaterin the2012 Queensland state election.[24]Clarke failed in this campaign, coming fourth and recording only a 4.6% primary vote.[25]

FormerAustralian Football LeagueCEOAndrew Demetrioustated that Clarke as Mayor of the Gold Coast played a major role in the AFL establishing a new teamGold Coast Sunson the Gold Coast.[26]

In 2011, Clarke was part of the lobbying team that secured the2018 Commonwealth Gamesfor theGold Coast, Queensland.[27]

Honours[edit]

In 1966, Clarke was appointed aMember of the Order of the British Empire(MBE) "In recognition of service to athletics".[1][28]

In 2000, he was awarded theAustralian Sports Medalfor "Significant contribution as a competitor (Athletics)".[29]

In 2001, he was awarded theCentenary Medalfor "Distinguished service to theeco-tourismindustry ".[29]

In the 2013Queen's Birthday Honours List,he was appointed anOfficer of the Order of Australia(AO) "for distinguished service to the community through a range of leadership roles with local government and philanthropic organisations, and to the promotion of athletics."[1][30]

Awards and recognition[edit]

In 2005, Geelong Athletics honoured Clarke with an athletics meet to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his breaking theworld recordfor the 20,000 metres and his one-hour run atLandy Fieldin October 1965. This meet is held annually as part of theAthletics AustraliaNational Meet Series.

On 15 March 2006, Ron Clarke was one of the final four runners who carried theQueen's Batonaround theMCGstadium during the2006 Commonwealth GamesOpening Ceremony inMelbourne,Victoria,Australia.[37]

Emil Zátopekhad great respect for Ron Clarke. In 1966 (often erroneously noted as 1968), he invited the Australian to Czechoslovakia, and as a parting gift he gave him his 1952 Olympic 10,000-metre gold medal with the following words: "Not out of friendship but because you deserve it."[38][39]

Death[edit]

Clarke died ofkidney failureon 17 June 2015 at Allamanda Hospital inSouthport, Queensland.[40]Clarke is survived by his wife Helen and sons Marcus and Nicolas. His daughter Monique died ofbreast cancerin 2009.[3][41]

Prime MinisterTony AbbottandOpposition LeaderBill Shortenpaid tribute to Clarke inParliamenton the day of his death by stating that a great Australian had been lost with his death.[42]Herb Elliott,an Australian 1500-metre Olympic gold medallist, said "Ron was a great man. His contribution to athletics was enormous. He was also a wonderful contributor to public health through lifestyle programs and gymnasiums and the communities in which he lived. Ron will be greatly missed".[43]

Mitch Mitchell's sculpture depicting Clarke and Landy

John Landy,who famously helped Clarke when he fell during a mile race at the 1956 Australian Championships, said, "Ron Clarke, by his running feats inspired Australian distance runners and in a world sense, demonstrated the potential athletics achievements possible."[43]Frank Shorter,the 1972 Olympic marathon gold medallist, said: "Ron Clarke was my idol. I grew up seeing Ron Clarke in the dark blue singlet with the V on it – to me that was the symbol of running."[44]

Bibliography[edit]

  • The Measure of Success: a personal perspective.South Melbourne, Vic.: Lothian Books, 2004.
  • Run Easy.Melbourne: Information Australia, 2001.
  • Never Say Never: Couran Cove Resort from dream to reality.Avalon, N.S.W.: Banyan Tree Creative Services, 1999.
  • Fixing the Olympics.Melbourne: Information Australia, 1999.
  • Enjoying Life: a champion's guide to the good life.Melbourne: Information Australia, 1999.
  • Total Living: for everyone who wants to be fitter, trimmer and smarter.London: Pavilion, 1995.
  • Ron Clarke's Running Book.Collingwood, Vic.: Outback Press, 1979.
  • Successful Athletics: from beginner to expert in forty lessons,withRaelene Boyle.Melbourne: Thomas Nelson, 1976.
  • Ron Clarke Talks Trackedited by Jon Hendershott. Los Altos, California: Tafnews, 1972.
  • Athletics the Australian Way.Melbourne: Lansdowne, 1971.
  • The Lonely Breed,with Norman Harris. London: Pelham, 1967.
  • The Unforgiving Minute,as told to Alan Trengrove. London: Pelham, 1966.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdefg"Ron Clarke".Sports Reference – Olympic Sports.Archived fromthe originalon 6 August 2015.Retrieved17 June2015.
  2. ^Ron ClarkeArchived30 October 2017 at theWayback Machine.trackfield.brinkster.net
  3. ^abJohnson, Len (16 June 2015)."The man who changed the world".The Runner's Tribe.Archived fromthe originalon 17 June 2015.Retrieved17 June2015.
  4. ^Organizing Committee of the XVI Olympiad, Melbourne, 1956."THE OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE FOR THE GAMES OF THE XVI OLYMPIAD MELBOURNE 1956"(PDF).p. 227. Archived fromthe original(pdf-34.4 MB)on 12 September 2008.Retrieved17 June2015– via www.la84foundation.org.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)('Snippet'Archived17 June 2015 at theWayback Machinevia Google books)
  5. ^"Ron Clarke".athhistory.imgstg.com.Australian Athletics Historical Results. Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved18 June2015.
  6. ^Nichols, Peter (19 June 2015). "Ron Clarke obituary".The Guardian.
  7. ^"Ronald 'Ron' Clarke MBE".Australian Commonwealth Games Association website.Archived fromthe originalon 18 July 2015.
  8. ^ab"Athletics Australia Hall of Fame".Athletics Australia website.Archivedfrom the original on 17 August 2015.Retrieved17 June2015.
  9. ^ab"Australian IAAF World Record Holders * World Best Performances as of January 2008".Athletics Australia website.Archivedfrom the original on 9 June 2016.Retrieved18 June2015.
  10. ^"Clarke's new record".Canberra Times.18 January 1965.Retrieved19 June2015.
  11. ^"Clarke betters own world time".Canberra Times.2 February 1965.Retrieved18 June2015.
  12. ^"Clarke has four world records ratified".Canberra Times.16 January 1966.Retrieved18 June2015.
  13. ^"Clarke ill but still breaks record".Canberra Times.7 July 1966.Retrieved18 June2015.
  14. ^ab"Clarke sets two world times".Canberra Times.19 December 1963.Retrieved18 June2015.
  15. ^ab"Clarke shatters record".Canberra Times.16 July 1965.Retrieved18 June2015.
  16. ^ab"Clarke smashes records".Canberra Times.28 October 1965.Retrieved18 June2015.
  17. ^ab"Another record to Clarke".Canberra Times.29 June 1967.Retrieved18 June2015.
  18. ^"Clarke races alone to record".Canberra Times.26 August 1968.Retrieved18 June2015.
  19. ^"Clarke smashes world record".Canberra Times.4 December 1964.Retrieved18 June2015.
  20. ^"Another record to Clarke".Canberra Times.4 March 1965.Retrieved18 June2015.
  21. ^"Vale Ron Clarke – a fitting tribute by Paul Jenes and Brian Roe".Athletics Australia website.Archivedfrom the original on 18 June 2015.Retrieved18 June2015.
  22. ^Gold Coast City Council."Mayor Cr Ron Clarke MBE".Archived fromthe originalon 12 February 2012.Retrieved17 June2015.
  23. ^"2008 Gold Coast City - Mayoral Election - Election Summary".Electoral Commission of Queensland.
  24. ^Kelly, James (27 February 2012)."Clarke says Gold Coast needs independent MP".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on 28 February 2012.Retrieved6 March2012.
  25. ^"2012 State General Election – Broadwater – Booth Details".Electoral Commission of Queensland. 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2014.Retrieved6 August2012.
  26. ^Smart, Nick (17 June 2015)."Suns, says former AFL boss Andrew Demetriou".Herald Sun.Retrieved18 June2015.
  27. ^Kimmorley, Sarah (17 June 2015)."Legendary Australian athlete and former Gold Coast Mayor, Ron Clarke has died aged 78".Business Insider Australia.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2015.Retrieved17 June2015.
  28. ^"CLARKE, Ronald William".itsanhonour.gov.au.11 June 1966.Archivedfrom the original on 22 February 2019.Retrieved17 June2015.
  29. ^ab"CLARKE, Ronald William".It's an Honour.Archived fromthe originalon 17 June 2015.Retrieved17 June2015.
  30. ^"Queen's Birthday Honours List 2013".Herald Sun.News Corp. 10 June 2013.Retrieved17 June2013.
  31. ^"France honours Ron Clarke".Canberra Times.7 January 1967.Retrieved18 June2015.
  32. ^"Helms award to Ron Clarke".Canberra Times.14 January 1966.Retrieved18 June2015.
  33. ^"Past Winners".BBC Sports Personality of the Year.Archivedfrom the original on 21 November 2015.Retrieved19 June2015.
  34. ^ab"Ron Clarke".Sport Australia Hall of Fame.Retrieved24 September2020.
  35. ^"Past winners".Fathers Day Council of Victoria.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2015.Retrieved17 June2015.
  36. ^"Clarke & Warne Elevated to Legend Status".Sport Australia Hall of Fame.4 December 2022.Retrieved5 December2022.
  37. ^"Queen's Baton Relay".Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games website.Archivedfrom the original on 10 August 2015.Retrieved17 June2015.
  38. ^Bunrton, Simon (22 June 2012)."50 stunning Olympic moments No 41: Emil Zátopek the triple-gold winner".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2015.Retrieved17 June2015.
  39. ^Richard Askwith,Today We Die a Little: Emil Zátopek, Olympic Hero to Cold War Legend,Vintage Digital, 2016
  40. ^Weston, Paul (17 June 2015)."Former Gold Coast mayor and Olympic medallist Ron Clarke dies, aged 78".Gold Coast Bulletin.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2015.Retrieved17 June2015.
  41. ^Anderson, Jon (17 June 2015)."Australian athletics legend Ron Clarke dies aged 78".Geelong Advertiser.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2015.Retrieved17 June2015.
  42. ^"Abbott, Shorten pay tribute to a great".9News.com.au.17 June 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2015.Retrieved17 June2015.
  43. ^ab"Vale Ron Clarke".Australian Olympic Committee News, 17 June 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2015.Retrieved17 June2015.
  44. ^Johnson, Len."Former world record-holder Ron Clarke dies".IAAF News, 17 June 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2015.Retrieved18 June2015.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toRon Clarke.
Records
Preceded by Men's 10,000 m World Record Holder
18 December 1963 – 3 September 1972 		Succeeded by
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Track & Field Athlete of the Year
1965 		Succeeded by
Sporting positions
Preceded by Men's 5000 m Best Year Performance
1966–1968 		Succeeded by
Olympic Games
Preceded by Final Olympic torchbearer
Melbourne 1956
With:Hans Wikne 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Final Summer Olympic torchbearer
Melbourne 1956
With:Hans Wikne 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of the Gold Coast
2004–2012 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_Clarke&oldid=1229869616"