New ultra running telemovie.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Here's the release:

Cliff Young, the 61 year-old Victorian potato farmer, who grabbed the world headlines when he beat the finest distance runners in the 1983 Sydney to Melbourne ultra marathon, is the latest telemovie to be green lit by ABC TV.

Cliffy will be produced by Clock End Films for ABC1. It will be directed by Dean Murphy (Charlie & Boots, Strange Bedfellows) with Nigel Odell (Strange Bedfellows, Long Weekend) as producer.

The telemovie has been written by Robert B. Taylor (Muggers). Casting is currently underway with filming to start in mid April across Albury-Wodonga and regional Victoria.

Carole Sklan, ABC TV’s Head of Fiction said “Few stories capture the public imagination like that of Cliff Young. Nearly 30 years after famously shuffling from Sydney to Melbourne and into Australian folklore, Cliffy continues to fascinate and inspire. We are delighted to be partnering with such an accomplished creative team to bring this iconic tale to ABC TV.”

Producer Nigel Odell said “Dean and I are thrilled to be working with ABC TV to bring to life the story of this Aussie legend. Here is a man, who at the very mention of his name makes people smile. Everyone relates to Cliffy because secretly we all feel we have the ability to do amazing things if only we were given the chance and we love an underdog. He embodies everything we value in Australia and it’s fantastic that ABC TV is giving Australian audiences another chance to celebrate this amazing man and his incredible achievements.”

Set against the backdrop of the early eighties, Cliffy retraces his extraordinary journey from famously training in gumboots among cow paddocks through the epic six day period of the ultra marathon and his emergence as Australia’s most unlikely sporting hero.