Graem Sims
Discovering Percy
I first heard the term “Cerutty man” in 1994 as I researched an article on cyclist Kathy Watt for Inside Sport magazine ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Canada that year. My curiosity was piqued as I discovered Watt’s father, one of the “Portsea gang”, had died tragically on a solo training run when a blizzard closed in on Mount Erica in Victoria as he headed for its summit. Kathy Watt was then just five years old. Those who knew Geoff Watt understood exactly how it happened: this was a man afraid of nothing, who had raced in the great marathons of the world, and had scaled Mount Kilimanjaro in a pair of Volley OC sandshoes after swapping his walking boots for a pint of beer. This was a “Cerutty man.”
So, who was Percy Cerutty? Beyond the limited entries in various encyclopedias and textbooks, I found little detailed reference to him. Indeed, I was left with the strong impression that he had in some ways been written out of Australian sporting history. Who was this “eccentric genius”? What was the substance of his ideas?
In 1999, while working as deputy editor of Inside Sport, I began to investigate the man, sourcing his books and making enquiries. This led me to make my own pilgrimage to Portsea, where I met his widow, Nancy, and presented my case for a book to reanimate the man and his teachings. Nancy consented, and bequeathed to me an astonishing archive from various corners of her home: diaries, letters, essays, notes and photos. With this mountain of material ahead of me, and an entire history of running and athletics training to absorb, I set to work, tracking down the “Stotan” devotees and piecing together this life.
Enjoy the book. Comments or feedback are welcome. I can be contacted by emailing: graem.sims@gmail.com