Percy Wells Cerutty (10 January 189514 August 1975) was an Australian

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

coach in the 1950s and 1960s. The eccentric

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n pioneered a home-spun system of "Stotan" training, embracing a holistic regime of natural diets, hard training in natural surroundings, and mental stimulation. Cerutty coached Herb Elliott to a series of

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

performances, culminating in an Olympic gold medal in the 1960 Rome Games.

Early life

Percy Cerutty was born in

Prahran Prahran ( , also colloquially or ), is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Prahran recorded a population ...

, a suburb of

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, in 1895, the seventh child of Harry Richard Cerutty, accountant, and his wife Emily, née Nielsen, both Victorians. He was four years old when his mother left her alcoholic husband to raise her six surviving children alone. In 1907, aged 12, he left school to help support the family but was considered unfit to serve in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He competed in athletics without distinction, suffering from illness after racing. Despite this fact, Cerutty was still determined to reach his highest potential. In 1939, at the age of 43 Cerutty was faced with a formative challenge in his life; a nervous breakdown that necessitated taking leave from work at the

Postmaster-General's Department The Postmaster-General's Department (PMG) was a department of the Australian federal government, established at Federation in 1901, whose responsibilities included the provision of postal and telegraphic services throughout Australia. It was ...

and which prompted a reassessment of his life. After this, he began educating himself in healthy living. He focused on running and weight lifting.

Athlete

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Cerutty began competing in

distance running Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

events. At the start of his career he failed to do much more than a jog. However, over the years he started making good strides towards being competitive in the running world. Right before he turned 51 he completed his first marathon in a time of 3 hours and 1 minute. In 1950, he retired from running after becoming the state marathon champion, setting Australian records for 30, 50 and 60 miles (48, 80 and 97 km), having begun the coaching for which he is renowned.Australian Dictionary of Biography online - Percy Cerutty
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Stotan philosophy

Cerutty's unique "Stotan" philosophies were a blend of

Stoic Stoic may refer to: * An adherent of Stoicism Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that flourished in ancient Greece and Rome. The Stoics believed that the universe operated according to reason, ''i.e.'' by a God which is immersed i ...

and

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n principles, a combination that provided Cerutty a base for training his athletes.Kelly, Graeme (1964). ''Mr Controversial : the story of Percy Wells Cerutty''. Stanley Paul, London In 1946, Cerutty acquired 3/4 acres of land in Portsea with Dorothy Clara Barwell whom he had married in 1921, so that they could start a training camp there. In order to bring this new camp some attention, he ran 80 miles from Portsea to Melbourne. This act is reflective of his overall approach to the sport of distance running. He introduced this approach to the athletes he trained at his Portsea headquarters. Training would involve running amongst idyllic environments, along beaches and over dunes, and it mixed

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

and philosophy with athletics training. His athletes would undertake a routine of challenging runs up sand dunes, on bark or wood chip paths, barefoot runningRichie Jr, D. H. What's New in Running Shoe Technology? Computers, hi-tech materials, and design changes have led to improved footwear. prevention, 2, 3. and lifting weights frequently. Athletes training under Cerutty said "You came here with the object of running more quickly, and achievement in running, but really it was an education in life" and "You got a whole philosophy of life and attitudes" The new philosophy of life included the following tenets: * Only consumption of

whole wheat bread Whole wheat bread or wholemeal bread is a type of bread made using flour that is partly or entirely milled from whole or almost-whole wheat grains, see whole-wheat flour and whole grain. It is one kind of brown bread. Synonyms or near-synony ...

, as white flour was a poison. * Reduced consumption of alcohol * No consumption of cigarettes * No consumption of water or drink with meals or following for a few hours * No socialising after midnight His philosophies were considered very strict in his time, and inevitably led to rivalries between Cerutty and other coaches who used different approaches to training. Cerutty maintained a rivalry with fellow-coach Franz Stampfl whose

Interval Training Interval training is a type of training exercise that involves a series of high-intensity workouts interspersed with rest or break periods. The high-intensity periods are typically at or close to anaerobic exercise, while the recovery periods invol ...

techniques were disliked by Cerutty. Cerutty's training techniques will always remain controversial among those who study the sport of running. However, Cerutty believed that what he was doing created the most physically and mentally tough athletes. Between 1959 and 1967, Cerutty published six books on his training philosophies.

Diet

Cerutty has been described by Neal Bascomb as eating a "vegetarian root-based diet", however, Cerutty was not a vegetarian in his personal life and in 1959 commented that "a proportion of meat and fish and poultry is included in the diet, liver being a must"."Yes, We Have Bananas, Says Percy Cerutty"
''The Beverley Times'' (March 26, 1959). p. 2 Cerutty also preferred bananas and

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Professional Trainer

Cerutty coached

John Landy John Michael Landy (12 April 1930 – 24 February 2022) was an Australian middle-distance runner and state governor. He was the second man to break the four-minute mile barrier in the mile run and held the world records for the 1500-metre run ...

Don Macmillan Donald Robertson Thomson MacMillan (5 January 1928 – 19 November 2004) was an Australian middle-distance runner. He competed in the 800 metres at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the ...

and Les Perry at

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for the 1952

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, but in 1953 announced that "All my enthusiasm for the amateur cause has had its day," and registered as a professional trainer with the Victorian Athletic League.

Herb Elliott

Cerutty's greatest successes came through Herb Elliott. Elliott won two gold medals at the 1958 Empire Games, and set world records at

Mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a imperial unit, British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of Unit of length, le ...

(3:54.5) and

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilomet ...

(3:36.0) during the year. Cerutty began coaching Elliott when the runner was eighteen. Elliott was a 4:20 miler when he came to run for Cerutty, and within a few months, he had run 4:06 (a world record at the junior level). Soon enough, Elliott topped Merv Lincoln to be the top miler in Australia. Lincoln was coached by Cerutty's rival Franz Stampfl. Lincoln and Elliott raced many times, but as Cerutty says of Lincoln "Never did he once beat my Herb Elliott." This quote demonstrates Cerutty's pride in coaching the great Herb Elliott, who continued to be a huge success for Cerutty. At

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in 1960, the 22-year-old Elliott set a

to win the Olympic gold medal in the 1500 metres setting another

of 3:35.6. Percy Cerutty along with coaches Forbes Carlile and Harry Gallagher provided the expertise for swimmers and athletes during Australia's "Golden Era" but they were disallowed official presence at Commonwealth and Olympic Games because of their "amateur" status. Elliott broke the 4 minute barrier on 17 separate occasions; an extraordinary feat for athletes during his time period. Elliott was never bettered at the distance of a mile or the 1500. At one point during his career, Elliott and Cerutty got in an argument. To solve the argument, Cerutty challenged Elliott to a mile race. Whoever won this race would also win the argument. Sure enough they raced and Cerutty was clearly beaten on time; he was racing the top miler in the world who didn't even have to try to win the race between the two of them. However, when Cerutty crossed the line, he told Elliott that he had won because he had put in more effort than Elliott. His point being that regardless of the circumstances, 100% effort should always be put forth. This story reflects accurately upon his "Stotan" training philosophy.

Other athletes

Further athletes trained or assisted by Cerutty included: *John Landy - 1956 Olympic Bronze Medal

- World Mile Record * Betty Cuthbert - 1964 Olympic Gold Medal

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is ...

- World 440 yards Record * Middle-distance runners Dave Stephens and Les Perry * David (Dave) William Power - marathon runner - Olympic bronze medallist; dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist. Cerutty also helped

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Russell Mockridge and boxer Jimmy Carruthers during their sporting careers. His strict training philosophy was not exclusive to distance running and could be transferred effectively to other sports because it taught competitors how to be tough; Cerutty saw his approach as a way of life and a way to train.

Retirement

Cerutty gave up coaching athletes in 1969 and continued to live at his beloved Portsea home - CERES. Cerutty was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the 1972 Birthday Honours for services to sport and physical fitness,Australia list: and described as "Australia's most enigmatic, pioneering and controversial athletics coach". Posthumously Cerutty was inducted into the

Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Don Bradman, Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and ...

for his athletics coaching on 5 December 1989.

Personal life

Cerutty and Dorothy Clara Barwell married at the East Malvern Baptist Church on 7 November 1921. They divorced in 1955, then on 3 March 1958 he married divorcee Ellen Ann ('Nancy'), née Keene, late Armstrong, at the Unitarian manse, East Melbourne. He died of

motor neurone disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

on 14 August 1975 at his home in Portsea and is buried at Sorrento cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cerutty, Percy 1895 births 1975 deaths Australian athletics coaches Olympic coaches for Australia Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Sportsmen from Victoria (state) People from Prahran, Victoria 20th-century Australian sportsmen