A Column By Jaryd Clifford

In 1998, a young runner from New South Wales lay shattered on the Olympic Park track in Melbourne. His name was Martin Dent, and moments earlier he had come to a grinding halt, his panic-stricken face awash with realisation. It was the Australian junior steeplechase final, and while leading the race, he had forgotten to hurdle the all-important water jump. His race was over, and there was nothing he could do. It was his fault, and he knew it. Rising slightly from the track, he began to pummel his fist into the ground, his frustration released in a brief, yet unforgettable tirade. It was this fierce passion that would one day take him to the Olympic Games, and make him one of the toughest runners in Australian history.
A column by Jaryd Clifford – Runner’s Tribe Under the African sun, a furious game of football is in full flight. The young boys dart around the pitch, their skinny legs whirring a hypnotic dance. The dust they kick-up ascends into a cloud of fire that rains down on them,...