Percy Wells Cerutty
‘Maker Of Champions’
Coach, philosopher, writer
1895-1975
Read Why Die? The Extraordinary Percy Cerutty, ‘Maker of Champions’
Percy Cerutty.
Australia’s most enigmatic and controversial athletics coach.
Outspoken, outrageous, out of the square – this was the public Percy Cerutty at the height of his international fame in the 1950s and ’60s. The ‘seer of the sandhills’ accepted athletes into his renowned camp at Portsea, introduced them to his barbells, revolutionary diet and unique running theories, then aimed their sights up the sand dunes and into immortality. A string of champions, led by John Landy and Herb Elliott, emerged to take centre stage during athletics’ Golden Era.
The private Percy Cerutty was fixed on an immortality of his own that would transcend mere sport. At the age of 44, his thwarted business ambitions and exhaustive self-interrogation had led him to collapse. Given two years to live by doctors, he applied his obsessive nature to his recovery, transforming himself into an astonishing physical specimen and developing an entirely original theory of human movement. To prove his theories, Cerutty sought to tilt the athletics world off its axis through the deeds of his runners – and through the sheer force of his own personality.
Why Die? (the title of a book Cerutty intended to write, before his own death) includes previously unpublished letters, diaries and essays of Cerutty’s, as well as anecdotes and reminiscences from the key figures of the day. It tells the dramatic and inspiring story of an extraordinary Australian – the ascetic, aesthetic and incredibly athletic Percy Wells Cerutty.
What people say about Why Die?
“It is exceptionally well written and I couldn’t put it down. You have given me new insights into Percy and a greater understanding of his genius and his torture. Some of the passages made me want to get the running shoes out and get back into camp for a few months and become a ‘real man’. Congratulations.”
– Herb Elliott
“I wanted to write about Percy Cerutty in Born To Run and then again in Natural Born Heroes, but both times he was a flavor too strong for the stew; Percy’s tales were so rich, they overpowered other narratives. Luckily, the long backburning turned out to be an advantage. Lately there has been a quiet but growing Percy revival and it’s turned up priceless material. Graem Sims’ excellent biography Why Die? is now available . . . Australian media has rediscovered its forgotten national hero.”
– Christopher McDougall, author of Born To Run
“A detailed account of this volatile eccentric’s personal journey . . . Hanging in with Cerutty’s personality is at times harrowing, but Why Die? is an insider’s guide to the evolution of male athletics in Australia over a 25-year period.”
– Alistair Jones, The Weekend Australian
“Percy Cerutty was one of the greatest motivators in Australian sporting history. He was also one of the most controversial figures in Australian sport. Twenty-eight years after his death, a comprehensive examination has been made of his life. In Why Die? Sims has successfully recaptured the atmosphere of that Golden Era of Australian sport. The book is undoubtedly one of the best Australian sports biographies. Sims’ writing is lively and provocative . . . He has produced a masterpiece of sports history.”
– David Marsh, The West Australian
“Graem Sims has succeeded in writing the definitive and subtle account of this unusual man’s remarkable life.”
– Bruce Elder, The Sydney Morning Herald
“I’m not sure of the point of this biography that comes 28 years after Cerutty’s death. If it is to resurrect his reputation as an athletics coach then that reputation is tarnished by the obnoxious behavior so scrupulously chronicled by his biographer.”
– Dianne Dempsey, The Age
“Percy Cerutty was an endlessly provocative man, and his life goes on being provocative . . . I’m unaware of the obligation of books to have an explicit ‘point’ in order that they exist, but perhaps in her appalled response to its subject, Dempsey inadvertently reveals one in Why Die?”
– Gideon Haigh, The Age
“A meticulously researched and written biography . . . Fascinating.”
– Andrew Webster, Inside Sport
“Percy Cerutty was an athletics coach ahead of his time.”
– Ray Chesterton, Daily Telegraph (Best Read)
“This biography is an much about madness, obsession and depression and the meaning of life as it is about sport. Why Die? is a fascinating and compelling book . . . It is not just for sports fans but anyone with an interest in human nature, insanity or genius.”
– Marnie Turner, Cairns Post
“In a word, fascinating.”
– Christopher Bantick, The Sunday Tasmanian
“Graem Sims has researched his subject meticulously, talking to as many relevant people as he could track down, on both sides of the Percy fence. His writing style allows Percy’s character to shine through undimmed.”
– Ben Doherty, Bendigo Advertiser
“Sims has written a passionate biuograpahy of Percy Cerutty. Highly recommended for students of human nature interested in larger-than-life characters. Perhaps also a book for sports lovers.”
– Alan Wheatley, Bonzer