Ronald William Clarke (21 February 1937 – 17 June 2015) was an Australian athlete, writer, and the Mayor of the Gold Coast from 2004 to 2012. He was one of the best-known middle- and long-distance runners in the 1960s, notable for setting seventeen world records.
Clarke was born 21 February 1937 in Melbourne, Victoria. He attended Essendon Primary School, Essendon High School (now part of Essendon Keilor College) and Melbourne High School. His brother Jack Clarke and father Tom played Australian rules football in the Victorian Football League with Essendon. He was a qualified accountant.
In 1956, when Clarke was still a promising 19-year-old, he was chosen to light the Olympic Flame in the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the opening ceremonies of the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.
During the 1960s, Clarke won 9 Australian championships and 12 Victorian track championships ranging from 1500 m to 6 miles (9.7 km).
He won the bronze medal in the 10,000 metre (m) race at the 1964 Summer Olympics when he was upset by Billy Mills, and never won an Olympic gold medal. However, Emil Zátopek gave him one of his own gold medals, which Clarke described as one of his most cherished presents. At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Clarke collapsed and nearly died from altitude sickness sustained during the gruelling 10,000 m race final. Despite training in the Alps to get acclimatised to high altitudes at Mexico City, this could not put him on par with many opponents from Africa, who had always run at high altitude (with the notable exception of 5,000 m gold medalist and 10,000 m bronze medalist Mohammed Gammoudi of Tunisia, who was born and lived not far above sea level). Clarke finished in sixth place, but remembered nothing of the last lap. He recovered sufficiently to compete in the 5,000 metre heats a few days later.
In the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, he won silver in the 3-mile event, and in the 1966 Games he won silver medals in the 3 miles (4.8 km) and 6 miles (9.7 km) events.
During a 44-day European tour in 1965, he competed 18 times and broke 12 world records, including the 20,000 m (12.4 miles). On 10 July, at London's White City Stadium, during the 1965 AAA Championships, he became the first man to run 3 miles in under 13 minutes, lowering the world record to 12:52.4. Four days later, in Oslo, he lowered his own 10,000 m world record by 36.2 seconds to 27:39.4, becoming the first man to break the 28 minute barrier. Clarke went on to win the British AAA title again in 1966 and 1967.
In 1965, Clarke beat the 10,000-metre world record in Turku, Finland, with a time of 28:14.0; however, it was never ratified, as it was said that permission to run was requested too late.
Clarke was elected mayor of the Gold Coast in 2004, defeating incumbent Gary Baildon. Clarke and his wife, Helen, first came to the Gold Coast for a holiday in 1957. The couple returned almost every year thereafter, and in 1995, after 14 years abroad, mainly in Europe, came back for good. He was re-elected in 2008.
Clarke resigned as Mayor of the Gold Coast on 27 February 2012, when he announced his nomination to run as an independent candidate for the seat of Broadwater in the 2012 Queensland state election. Clarke failed in this campaign, coming fourth and recording only a 4.6% primary vote.
Former Australian Football League CEO Andrew Demetriou stated that Clarke as Mayor of the Gold Coast played a major role in the AFL establishing a new team Gold Coast Suns on the Gold Coast.
In 2011, Clarke was part of the lobbying team that secured the 2018 Commonwealth Games for the Gold Coast, Queensland.
Clarke notably co-founded the Lifestyle fitness club in 1974 with footballer Terry Moore, and it soon became the largest chain of commercial gymnasiums in Australia.
In 1966, Clarke was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) "In recognition of service to athletics".
In 2000, he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for "Significant contribution as a competitor (Athletics)".
In 2001, he was awarded the Centenary Medal for "Distinguished service to the eco-tourism industry".
In the 2013 Queen's 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."
1965 – awarded the Prix Du President by the French Sports Academy