Betty Cuthbert’s running machine

Seventeen-year-old sprinter Betty Cuthbert won a remarkable haul of three gold medals at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. She was hampered by injury at the 1960 Olympics, but encouraged by her coach June Ferguson, she prepared for the 400 metres event at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Cuthbert built up her stamina on the running machine, then a rarity in Australia. The machine could be used to train in wet weather, allowed her coach closer scrutiny of her style, improved her balance and endurance, and replicated the feeling of sheer speed.