Vale: Ron Clarke, Olympian and leisure industry innovator

Olympian and former Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke has died on the Gold Coast.

The Gold Coast City Council confirmed that Clarke, 78, died early this morning.

The Australian running legend, former world record holder and Olympic medallist - who was honoured with both an AO and MBE - died after a short illness in a private hospital.

Athletics Australia's Hall of Fame notes Clarke, who grew up in Victoria, was credited with 17 official world records.

Clarke won a silver medal in the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in the three mile event, a bronze medal in the 10,000 metre even at the 1964 Olympics and two silver medals at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in the three mile and six mile races.

Athletics Australia records that in 1965, at the peak of his career, Clarke competed 18 times in eight countries during a 44-day tour of Europe, setting 12 world records.

Clarke's most famous race came at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, where Clarke collapsed and nearly died from altitude sickness sustained during the grueling 10,000 metre race final. Despite training in the Alps to get acclimatised to high altitudes at Mexico City, Clarke finished in sixth place, but remembered nothing of the last lap.

However, he sufficiently recovered to compete in the 5,000 metre heats a few days later.

After retiring from athletics, Clarke enjoyed a successful career in sports business, bring both the adidas and Nike brands to Australia, then developed Lifestyle clubs in Australia and two highly successful Cannon’s fitness clubs in London.

A frequent visitor to the Gold Coast, in the mid 1990s Clarke became Chief Executive of Interpacific Resorts, responsible for the Couran Cove Resort on South Stradbrooke Island on the Gold Coast and the Runaway Bay Sports Super Centre.

When it opened in 1998, Couran Cove Resort was a highly innovative nature-based resort, mixing access, accommodation, educational programs, and a major sports compound within a fragile ecosystem.

Opened in 2000, the Runaway Bay Sports Super Centre was a privately funded world class sporting centre, that also serves as a membership-based community facility.

Later, he was elected Mayor of the Gold Coast in 2004 a position he held until February 2012, when he announced his nomination to run as an independent candidate for the seat of Broadwater in the 2012 Queensland state election.

In 1966 Clarke was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "In recognition of service to athletics

In the 2013 Queens Birthday Honours List, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) "for distinguished service to the community through a range of leadership roles with local government and philanthropic organisations, and to the promotion of athletics."

Paying tribute to Ron Clarke, fellow Olympic runner and former Victorian Governor John Landy said he set a standard for athletes around the world.

Lancy told the ABC "he was an extremely nice guy, a good guy.

"He helped a lot of other athletes and he was an outstanding athlete, not only in the sense of breaking major records, but he really did show to the world what was possible in terms of endurance running.

"He was a wonderful athlete and a wonderful person."

Landy and Clarke were well known for the sportsmanship shown at the 1956 Australian National Championships when Landy helped Clarke up after he tripped.

"Ron Clarke fell over - I didn't trip him, but in trying to get over him I spiked his shoulder and arm, and I stopped to see how he was and I put my foot over the line ... and he got up and said 'keep going', which I did, and I won the race.

"I think it was one of those bizarre instances probably best forgotten, but it created a lot of publicity at the time."

Ron Clarke is survived by his wife Helen, two sons and grandchildren.

Images: Ron Clarke in 2011 (top) and Ron Clarke [second from right] competing at the Mexico City 1968 Olympics (below). Lower image courtesy of the BBC.

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