1970

  

In 1970, Dr.Ron Hill MBE became the first British runner to win the Boston Marathon, by a wide margin, shattering the course record by three minutes with a time of 2:10:30. In July, at the British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, he became the second man ever to break the 2:10 barrier, clocking 2:09:28. Hill was timed in 29:24 for the first ten kilometers at Edinburgh, the equivalent of a 2:04 marathon pace, described as "suicidal".

Hill was ranked as the top marathoner of the year for 1970 by Track and Field News, on the strength of his two important wins – the Boston and British Commonwealth Games marathons. The next year, Hill was honored with an Order of the British Empire appointment for 'services to athletics'.

Above are the two medals Dr Ron won 40 years ago.

Look out for more celebrations throughout the year...