IT’S quite ironic that a man who drove a taxi cab for 26 years of his working life has clocked up 77,000 kilometres running and jogging around the streets of Moree.

On Saturday morning, 80-year-old Moree marvel Ronny Clissold proudly pencilled in that number in a tiny pocket diary after running five kilometres at Moree Parkrun.

“I had to finish the five-kilometre run, without walking, to give me 77,000 kilometres since 1982,” Clissold said.

Incredibly, the true figure is much higher – Ronny was competing in marathons and running regularly well before he started keeping a daily record.

“I’ve kept a record since 1982, that was Ronny O’Mullane’s idea, but I did do a lot of running and a lot of marathons before that,” he said.

Clissold effortlessly makes 80 the new 60.

He started running when he was in the army in 1968 – nearly 60 years later, he’s still going strong, with 44 of those years documented in tiny, dog-eared pocket diaries.

He’s got a box full of them at home – one for each year.

“I’ve been running constantly since my army days, but probably ran four or five marathons before I started keeping a record,” Clissold said.

“I had a couple of years off when I was riding the bike, but running has always been my first love as far as sport goes.”

Ronny O’Mullane, another Moree legend, often saw Clissold pounding the footpath around the streets of Moree.

“Ronny used to watch me running and one day said, ‘you do that many kilometres, write them down. Keep a log, and some day, someone will write a book about it’,” Clissold chuckled.

“His words were a bit of inspiration for me, and I’ve been keeping a record ever since.”

Even Clissold’s diary entries belie the extent of his daily routines.

If Clissold doesn’t run the distance he sets out to do on any given day, he doesn’t add the run to his tally.

“If I go out for a 10-kilometre run and pull up at, say, seven kilometres for some reason, I won’t write that in my tally – I’ll write it in the diary, but not add it to the running tally,” Clissold said.

“I remember one day, I was doing a 16-kilometre run. With three kilometres to go, I did a knee and walked home . . . I never wrote it down.”

The kilometre rate Clissold has documented over the past 50-odd years is the equivalent of five laps around Australia – a lap every decade.

“The biggest year was 5280 kilometres, and a couple of years after that I did 5002 kilometres. During the first four years, I averaged 12.45 kilometres a day, every day of the year,” he said.

Clissold drove his family-owned Moree taxi from 1986 until 2012, and throughout those 26 years still found time to lace up the joggers and go for a run – sometimes at the oddest hours.

“Some mornings, I’d get home from driving the cab at 1am and go for a 10-kilometre run. That was my way of winding down after a long day at work. I’d be up at seven, ready to go again,” he smiled.

Clissold is long-retired from driving taxis and shooting the breeze with customers – if teaching a large group of Moree kids how to run, and how to run fast, is retirement.

Ronny’s Runners is fast becoming – pun intended – a local institution.

Clissold established Ronny’s Runners about three-and-a-half years ago, and in that time has passed on his knowledge to dozens and dozens of kids.

And it’s not just about running, either – Clissold’s magic teaches the kids how to be good people.

“I like handing my knowledge out to the kids, and try to motivate them,” Clissold said.

“They’ll all become good citizens, that’s for sure – they’re great kids. Most of them hung in there with me at the Parkrun to get to the 77,000-kilometre mark.”

Clissold’s work in the community doesn’t go unnoticed.

In January, he received the Mayoral Award at the Moree Plains Australia Day awards ceremony, the same day Moree Parkrun was named Community Group of the Year and one of Clissold’s star runners, Bella Boland, was named Young Sports Person of the Year.

“We do what we do for our own enjoyment; we don’t do it for awards, but when they come along, it’s great . . . I’m very proud,” Clissold said.

Moree deputy mayor, Wayne Tighe, described Clissold as a quiet achiever.

“Ron’s dedication, humility and passion for sport make him a wonderful ambassador for Moree,” Cr Tighe said.

Moree Parkrun co-ordinator, Casey Smith, whose children Will and Madi are members of Ronny’s Runners, said Clissold logging 77,000 kilometres is nothing short of amazing.

“The kids love to run with Ronny to the parkrun finish line every time he runs, but Saturday’s run was extra special,” Smith said.

“Ronny encourages the kids to keep a diary of all their runs, so they can tally up their kilometres each year.

“In years to come, they can reflect on how far they’ve run and compare the good years with the not-so-good years.

“We are so grateful to Ronny for the time he gives up to train the kids, and for passing on tips like this,” she said.

“Ronny instils resilience in the kids. He explains that running hurts for everyone, and about the need to embrace the pain – everyone is hurting, whether they run a two-hour marathon or four-hour marathon.”

After solid training sessions, Clissold quite often regales the kids – and their parents – with stories of his running, particularly the marathons or brushes with fame.

“One particular time, Ronny was running the streets of Moree, only to run into Andrew Lloyd, an Australian Commonwealth Games Gold medallist,” Smith laughed.

Saturday was a morning of records, with Clissold’s 18-year-old grandson, Sam Custance from Tamworth, running his 250th Parkrun.

“That’s a big effort from Sam, well done,” Smith said.

“The day was also big for Moree Parkrun – we broke our record for the number of finishers with 102 people crossing the finish line.

“That’s the first time we’ve ever cracked the 100-mark,” she said.

Moree Online News published a feature story on Ronny Clissold around this time last year. The story can be read HERE.

Words and Images: Bill Poulos