Going strong at 77, endurance athlete Alby Clarke has proven age is no barrier and it's never too late to get in the game.
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The well-known Warrnambool identity was last night inducted into the Victorian Indigenous Honour Roll the first of its kind in Australia.
Albert "Alby" Clarke was one of 20 outstanding inductees at the ceremony in Melbourne, including Archie Roach, Lorraine 'Bunta' Patten and Alma Thorpe, who each grew up on the Framlingham Aboriginal Reserve.
Over the past 15 years, Alby has participated in an impressive list of endurance events, achieving results that defy his age.
Identifiable by his bright blue hair and trademark running shorts, Alby is often spotted at major events around Warrnambool and is an active fund-raiser for local causes. Now a Gunditjmara elder, Alby was born in Melbourne in 1934 and moved to the Framlingham Aboriginal Reserve at 10 after his father died of tuberculosis.
Despite an athletic youth, he gained weight after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and was told by a doctor he needed to improve his health if he wanted to see his children grow up.
He changed his diet, started cycling daily and within a few years was riding more than 1000km a week.
The doctor's advice paid off and Alby is now a grandfather of 16 and great-grandfather of 10.
On Australia Day in 1998, Alby competed in and won the Horsham Cycling Classic at the age of 64. A year later he completed his first charity ride, realising it was an effective way to rally support for causes he believed in and promote good health and an active lifestyle to the Aboriginal community.
He completed the 275km Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic in 2001 the first indigenous rider to do so.
It proved to be just the prelude. Three thousand kilometres is an intimidating distance at any age, but Alby seemed unfazed when he embarked on an epic bike ride from Perth to Warrnambool in 2002. He dubbed it the Ride for Reconciliation as he pedalled across the Nullarbor raising awareness along the way.
In 2005, Alby parked his bike and attempted his first ultra marathon, followed by the Melbourne to Warrnambool run to promote 'Closing the Gap'.
Just two years ago, aged 75, he completed two ultra marathons the 100km Portland to Warrnambool, raising money for Diabetes Australia, and the Portland to Geelong, promoting Koori Youth Education and 'Closing the Gap'.