TASMANIAN running legend Bill Emmerton has died at the age of 90 in his home town of Phoenix in the US.
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Emmerton made world headlines with two long- distance runs through Death Valley in the 1960s taking him through the Mojave Desert in soaring temperatures.
He also ran from one end of the Grand Canyon to the other, later saying that the seven-hour ordeal was the toughest run he ever did.
Emmerton started his athletics career with the Newstead Harriers before switching to professional running with the Launceston Athletic Club.
His ultra-marathon efforts included an 800-kilometre run from Melbourne to Adelaide in 1965 and twice attempting the 1535-kilometre distance from John O'Groats in Scotland to Lands End in England.
Contemporaries of Emmerton yesterday remembered a talented runner who was always keen to encourage and impart his knowledge of the sport to others.
Launceston's Don Cox spent a year in the US being coached by Emmerton and remained in touch with him until his death.
"I was there in 1978 when Bill ran the Pony Express route from St Joseph in Missouri to Sacramento," he said.
It took him 47 days to cover the 3200 kilometres.
"That was probably the last major run of his career," Cox said.
Emmerton worked for the Marathon oil company in the US and lectured on health and fitness to jail inmates and at local schools, Cox said.
Bevan Hutton trained with and ran against Emmerton in the 1950s.
"Bill was greatly interested in younger runners and gave them plenty of advice," he said.
Hutton recalls being a clubmate of Emmerton's at the Launceston Athletic Club 60 years ago.
"Probably the pinnacle of his career was representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand in 1950," Hutton said.
"As a professional athlete he was a trailblazer and was one of the first runners who lived off the sport."
Jeff O'Byrne said that as a younger runner he looked up to and respected Emmerton.
"He was an enormous talent and someone who never knew when to give in," O'Byrne said.
"He had a wonderful personality and would rate as one of the best athletes we've produced."
Although Emmerton stopped competitive running 30 years ago, he maintained his fitness by walking up to 20 kilometres a day, and even as a 90-year-old he exercised regularly on a treadmill.
He died in Phoenix on Saturday and had agreed to donate his body to science.
