Chapter 292: He didn’t race to win and always won.

Wednesday night on the Domain I line up for the 1500m. That means I will write about Herb Elliot. Despite what my grandkids think I do not remember Elliott racing. But modern technology helps  me to write the following.

 

 

The great Herb Elliott.  He didn’t race to win and always won.

 

1938: Herbert James Elliott born in Perth.

 

He went to Aquinas College. He played the piano, won prizes in debating and was named school captain. He rowed and played football (broke his nose) and ran. He wrote to John Landy.

 

Landy replies: Run for the sake of running, never just to run against the clock or to set out to break a record.

 

1955: Percy Cerutty sees Elliott win a mile race in Perth in 4:22.

Cerutty tells Elliot:  There’s not a shadow of doubt that within two years you will run a mile in four minutes.

 

1956: Elliott goes to Melbourne Olympics with his parents.  Elliott sees Kuts win the 10 and 5 kays at the Melbourne Olympics.

Elliott: The aggressive way in which Kuts dealt with Gordon Pirie in the 10,000 affected me tremendously.

 

1956: The Elliotts meet up with Cerutty. His parents approve of Herb joining Percy Cerutty’s training camp at Portsea.  They thought he would be a good mentor for Herb. 

 

1958: Sets the world mile record. 3:54. Same month sets the world 1500m record 3:36.

1958: Cardiff Commonwealth Games. Won the 880 yards and the mile.

 

1959: Married Anne Dudley. They have six children.

 

1960: Rome Olympics. His training was disrupted by his travels around the world and by getting married.

 

1960: Despite his punctured preparation his coach, Percy Cerutty, demanded he stick to their successful strategy of going to the front after two laps.

Elliott: Percy said ‘these guys will expect you to go at halfway. You’ve got to do that. Once they see you doing that you’ll break them they’ll think, oh no, we’ll never beat him’ and they’ll be racing for second place.

 

But everybody in the race had a plan.

 

The nine runners had all run sub four minute miles. They took off at speed. Frenchman Michel Bernard in front.

 

Elliott: The first two laps were led by a fellow in a light blue singlet. I had no idea who he was but it turned out to be Bernard. He set a very, very fast pace.

 

Then, with 600m to go, Elliott takes the lead. And he ran. Fast and faster.  He never looked back. This is seen as haughty arrogance and self-confidence. He sees a white towel (waved by Cerutty) being waved and sprints the last 200m. He wins by 30m.  New world record.

 

Elliott: You get to that point where your legs are screaming with lactic acid and your lungs are burning and you just put up with it. That’s the thing. Your training is so important. Not so much the strength and the muscle training … it’s training your mind. And if you haven’t developed mental toughness through all your training then you can’t rely on it in the race. But if you’ve done it every time in your training then you can rely on it in the race.

 

1960: Elliott does exactly what he saw Kuts do in 1956. He saw Kuts decimate the field and win contemptuously. What Elliott saw inspired him to take running serious.

 

As Elliott leaves the stadium a man, he doesn’t recognise, says to him:  It was a wonderful run.

The man was Vladimir Kuts.

 

During the Rome Olympics Elliott appears haughty and contemptuous of his rivals. He doesn’t even know the name of the guy leading the race. He won every mile he raced in but he was not paranoid or concerned about beating the other runners. He always won and didn’t race to win.

 

Its hypothetical but if Elliott had of been beaten in the mile he would have behaved very well towards the winner. He would not have been bad tempered or thrown his racquet. He might even have continued running a bit longer.

 

1960: Studies at University of Cambridge. He ran for Cambridge University. He very nearly gets defeated in a mile race. He then avoids the mile and sticks to cross country events.  He doesn’t win most of his cross country events but he impresses other runners with his physique, running style, ability to focus and sportsmanship behaviour. 

 

1961: Retires from international athletics. International running career from 1957-1961.  Never lost a race at 1500m or one mile. Runs a sub 4-minute mile 17 times.  44 consecutive victories in international athletics.

 

1962: Elliott is the world record holder and reigning Olympic Gold medallist. He retires at the age of 24 from athletics.