Ron Hill MBE, B.Sc (Tech), Ph.D
Born on September 25th, 1938, in Accrington, Lancashire, UK, Ron gained his B.Sc. (Tech) (1960) and his Ph.D (1964) in Textile Chemistry, at Manchester University. He was appointed MBE in 1971 for 'services to athletics'.
Ron joined Clayton-le-Moors Harriers in 1953, spent 1960-76 with Bolton United Harriers and rejoined Clayton-le-Moors Harriers in 1976 and is now a life-member.
You can read Ron Hill's thoughts on his personal blog.
CROSS COUNTRY CAREER.
- East Lancashire Champion, 8 times, 1962 - 69 inclusive
- Lancashire Champion, 6 times, 1963 - 68 inclusive
- Inter Counties Champion, 1968
- Northern Counties Champion, 4times, 1964/65 and 1967/68
- English Champion, Twice, 1966 and 1968.
- World (International) Championships, Second twice in 1964 and 1968, Member of the victorious England team 6 times, 1962/64/65/66/67/68 and captain of the England team 1965-68.
TRACK CAREER.
- Represented Great Britain at 5,000m and 10,000m
- British Record Holder at six miles in 1963, with 27.49.8 (AAA Champion)
- Personal Best for 6 miles - 27.26.0, 1964.
- Personal Best for 10,000m - 28.39.2, 1969.
- Olympics, Tokyo, Japan, 1964, 10,000m, 18th.
- Commonwealth Games, Kingston, Jamaica, 1966, 6 miles, 5th.
- Olympic Games, Mexico City, 1968, 10,000m, 7th.
- AAA 10 mile track champion, 1965/66/67/68/69.
Held World Records at:
- 10 miles, 47:02, Leicester, April 1968 (Ron Clarke was the former record holder).
- 46:44, Leicester, November 1968.
- 15 miles, 72:48.2, Bolton, July 1965.
- 25 kilometres, 75:22.6, Bolton, July 1965.
- The 15 miles and 25k were the last of Emil Zatopek's world records.
Held British Record's at:
- 20 kilometres, 58:39.0, Leicester, November, 1968.
- 1 hour, 12 miles 1268 yds (20,472m), Leicester, November 1968.
MARATHON/ROAD CAREER.
- 20 miles (32.186k).
- UK Northern Counties (Pembroke, Liverpool) 20 mile champion 1962-1970 inclusive.
- 1962, 1:42.23 (course record).
- 1963, 1;45.36.
- 1964, 1:40.55 (world record).
- 1965, 1:45.21.
- 1966, 1:43.21.
- 1967, 1:45.38.
- 1968, 1:36.28 (world record).
- 1969, 1:44.52.
- 1970, 1:45.25.
MARATHON.
- First marathon, 1961, Liverpool City, 1st, 2:24:22.
- European Games, 1962, Belgrade, d.n.f.
- Tokyo Olympics, 1964, 19th, 2:25:43.4.
- European Games, 1966, Budapest, 12th, 2:26:04.8.
- European Games, 1969, Athens, 1st, 2:16:47.8.
- Commonwealth, 1970, Edinburgh, 1st, 2:09:28, world record.
- European Games, 1971, Helsinki, 3rd, 2:14:34.8.
- Munich Olympics, 1972, 6th, 2:16:31.
- Commonwealth, 1974, New Zealand, 18th, 2:30:24.2.
- Best time, 1970, Edinburgh, 2:09:28, WORLD RECORD and the first man to run under 2 hours 10 minutes on a full distance course.
- Best time (as Master/Veteran), 1979, New Orleans, 2:15:46.
- Boston, 1970, 1st., 2:10:30, course Record by over 3 minutes. The first Briton to win this race and still one of only two Britons to achieve this.
- Final Marathon. The 100th running of Boston in 1996.
- Completed 115 Marathons, 112 under 2:50, 103 under 2:45 and 29 under 2:20.
| No. | Location | Date | Time | Position |
| 1 | Liverpool City | AUG 12 1961 | 02:24:22 | 1st |
| 2 | Polytechnic, London | JUN 16 1962 | 02:21:59 | 1st |
| European, Belgrade, Yugoslavia | SEP 16 1962 | DNF | ||
| 3 | Polytechnic, London | JUN 15 1963 | 02:18:06 | 2nd |
| 4 | Beverley, Yorkshire | MAR 30 1964 | 02:19:37 | 1st |
| 5 | Polytechnic, London | JUN 13 1964 | 02:14:12 | 2nd |
| 6 | Olympics, Tokyo, Japan | OCT 21 1964 | 02:25:34 | 19th |
| 7 | Beverley, Yorkshire | APR 19 1965 | 02:26:33 | 1st |
| 8 | Polytechnic, London | JUN 11 1966 | 02:20:55 | 3rd |
| 9 | European, Budapest, Hungary | SEP 4 1966 | 02:26:04 | 12th |
| 10 | Beverley, Yorkshire | MON 27 1967 | 02:27:21 | 3rd |
| 11 | Enschede, Holland | AUG 26 1967 | 02:23:43 | 2nd |
| 12 | Cwmbran, Wales | JULY 27 1968 | 02:17:11 | 4th |
| 13 | Maxol, Manchester | JULY 20 1969 | 02:13:42 | 1st |
| 14 | European, Athens, Greece | SEP 21 1969 | 02:16:48 | 1st |
| 15 | Fukuoka, Japan | DEC 7 1969 | 02:11:54 | 2nd |
| 16 | Boston, USA | APR 20 1970 | 02:10:30 | 1st |
| 17 | Commonwealth, Edinburgh, Scotland | JULY 23 1970 | 02:09:28 | 1st |
| 18 | Fukuoka, Japan | DEC 6 1970 | 02:15:27 | 9th |
| 19 | Maxol, Manchester | JUN 13 1971 | 02:12:39 | 1st |
| 20 | European, Helsinki, Finland | AUG 15 1971 | 02:14:34 | 3rd |
| 21 | Maxol, Manchester | JUN 4 1972 | 02:12:51 | 2nd |
| 22 | Olympics, Munich, Germany | SEP 10 1972 | 02:16:30 | 6th |
| 23 | Athens, Greece | APR 6 1973 | 02:21:29 | 5th |
| 24 | Szeged, Hungary | JULY 21 1973 | 02:23:02 | 1st |
| 25 | Enschede, Holland | SEP 1 1973 | 02:18:06 | 1st |
| 26 | Harlow, Essex | OCT 27 1973 | 02:13:22 | 2nd |
| 27 | Commonwealth, Christchurch, New Zealand | JAN 1 1974 | 02:30:24 | 18th |
| 28 | Polytechnic, Windsor | JUN 15 1974 | 02:21:36 | 6th |
| 29 | Szeged, Hungary | JULY 20 1974 | 02:19:28 | 1st |
| 30 | Kosice, Czechoslovakia | OCT 6 1974 | 02:28:30 | 28th |
| 31 | Baltimore, MD, USA | NOV 30 1974 | 02:17:23 | 1st |
| 32 | Boston, USA | APR 21 1975 | 02:13:28 | 5th |
| 33 | Ankara, Turkey | MAY 19 1975 | 02:21:36 | 1st |
| 34 | Debno, Poland | JUN 15 1975 | 02:12:34 | 1st |
| 35 | Montreal, Canada | AUG 2 1975 | 02:26:01 | 3rd |
| 36 | Enschede, Holland | AUG 30 1975 | 02:15:59 | 1st |
| 37 | Baltimore, MD, USA | DEC 7 1975 | 02:17:06 | 2nd |
| 38 | Rotherham, Yorkshire | MAY 8 1976 | 02:16:59 | 4th |
| 39 | Polytechnic, Windsor | SEP 11 1976 | 02:18:44 | 3rd |
| 40 | Berchem, Belgium | SEP 17 1976 | 02:23:38 | 4th |
| 41 | New York, USA | OCT 24 1976 | 02:19:43 | 10th |
| 42 | Baltimore, MD, USA | DEC 5 1976 | 02:20:23 | 3rd |
| 43 | Rhodes Marathon, Zimbabwe | MAR 20 1977 | 02:24:07 | 1st |
| 44 | Amsterdam, Holland | MAY 21 1977 | 02:26:07 | 14th |
| 45 | Polytechnic, Windsor | JUN 11 1977 | 02:16:37 | 2nd |
| 46 | Enschede, Holland | AUG 27 1977 | 02:21:21 | 9th |
| 47 | New York, USA | OCT 23 1977 | 02:20:01 | 18th |
| 48 | Baltimore, MD, USA | DEC 4 1977 | 02:24:50 | 4th |
| 49 | Huntsville, AL, USA | DEC 17 1977 | 02:17:40 | 2nd |
| 50 | Bermuda | JAN 29 1978 | 02:26:13 | 1st |
| 51 | Trails End, OR, USA | FEB 25 1978 | 02:22:44 | 3rd |
| 52 | Sandbach, Cheshire | MAY 7 1978 | 02:20:02 | 24th |
| 53 | New York, USA | OCT 22 1978 | 02:20:24 | 19th |
| 54 | Baltimore, MD, USA | DEC 3 1978 | 02:22:38 | 2nd |
| 55 | Huntsville, AL, USA | DEC 16 1978 | 02:19:36 | 4th |
| 56 | New Orleans, LA, USA | JAN 18 1979 | 02:15:46 | 3rd |
| 57 | St. Louis, MO, USA | JAN 25 1979 | 02:29:45 | 4th |
| 58 | Montreal, Canada | AUG 26 1979 | 02:25:50 | 19th |
| 59 | New York, USA | OCT 21 1979 | 02:23:20 | 45th |
| 60 | Baltimore, MD, USA | DEC 2 1979 | 02:23:37 | 5th |
| 61 | Huntsville, AL, USA | DEC 15 1979 | 02:24:14 | 17th |
| 62 | Orange Bowl, FL, USA | JAN 12 1980 | 02:27:28 | 12th |
| 63 | Baltimore, MD, USA | DEC 7 1980 | 02:27:56 | 7th |
| 64 | Orange Bowl, FL, USA | JAN 17 1981 | 02:22:55 | 15th |
| 65 | Coast of China, HK | MAR 29 1981 | 02:34:35 | 1st |
| 66 | Bahrain | FEB 19 1982 | 02:35:30 | 2nd |
| 67 | London | MAY 9 1982 | 02:20:57 | 39th |
| 68 | Orange Bowl, FL, USA | JAN 22 1983 | 02:27:14 | 15th |
| 69 | Bahrain | FEB 11 1983 | 02:25:25 | 1st |
| 70 | London | APR 17 1983 | 02:23:57 | 159th |
| 71 | Rio de Janiero, Brazil | JULY 2 1983 | 02:31:50 | 21st |
| 72 | Stockport, Cheshire | APR 8 1984 | 02:41:50 | 23rd |
| 73 | Rotterdam, Holland | APR 14 1984 | 02:37:15 | 71st |
| 74 | London | MAY 13 1984 | 02:29:04 | 213th |
| 75 | Potteries, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire | JUN 171984 | 02:49:33 | 66th |
| 76 | Antwerp, Belgium | JUN 23 1984 | 02:43:37 | 45th |
| 77 | Wirral, Cheshire | JULY 15 1984 | 02:43:23 | 10th |
| 78 | Antrim, N.Ireland | AUG 18 1984 | 02:44:08 | 8th |
| 79 | Torbay, Devon | SEP 23 1984 | 02:48:39 | 24th |
| 80 | Seoul, Korea | SEP 30 1984 | 02:37:25 | 30th |
| 81 | Chesterfield, Derbyshire | OCT 21 1984 | 02:40:55 | 7th |
| 82 | Eurasia, Turkey | NOV 4 1984 | 02:31:11 | 8th |
| 83 | Benidorm, Spain | NOV 18 1984 | 02:35:40 | 4th |
| 84 | Baltimore, MD, USA | DEC 2 1984 | 02:36:05 | 17th |
| 85 | Apeldoorn, Holland | FEB 2 1985 | 02:40:30 | 32nd |
| 86 | Limassol, Cyprus | FEB 17 1985 | 02:33:42 | 2nd |
| 87 | Bahrain | FEB 22 1985 | 02:37:40 | 2nd |
| 88 | Lyon, France | MAR 24 1985 | 02:37:12 | 50th |
| 89 | Wolverhampton, West Midlands | MAR 31 1985 | 02:48:22 | 125th |
| 90 | Trinidad, West Indies | APR 7 1985 | 02:47:31 | 13th |
| 91 | Stockport, Cheshire | APR 14 1985 | 02:48:51 | 31st |
| 92 | London | APR 21 1985 | 02:29:27 | 246th |
| 93 | Munich, Germany | APR 28 1985 | 02:47:36 | 150th |
| 94 | Frankfurt, Germany | MAY 19 1985 | 02:35:47 | 302nd |
| 95 | Piccadilly, Manchester | JUN 30 1985 | 02:36:36 | 38th |
| 96 | Guernsey, Channel Islands | AUG 26 1985 | 02:44:32 | 8th |
| 97 | Edinburgh, Scotland | SEP 1 1985 | 02:48:14 | 61st |
| 98 | Ipswitch, Suffolk | SEP 8 1985 | 02:35:53 | 1st |
| 99 | Glasgow, Scotland | SEP 22 1985 | 02:38:36 | 138th |
| 100 | Athens, Greece | OCT 13 1985 | 02:43:56 | 25th |
| 101 | Bedford, Bedfordshire | OCT 27 1985 | 02:41:24 | 14th |
| 102 | Benidorm, Spain | NOV 17 1985 | 02:42:20 | 9th |
| 103 | Baltimore, MD, USA | DEC 1 1985 | 02:29:36 | 11th |
| 104 | Barbados, West Indies | DEC 8 1985 | 02:41:37 | 5th |
| 105 | Malta | FEB 16 1986 | 02:43:09 | 6th |
| 106 | Shamrock, VA, USA | MAR 15 1986 | 02:40:35 | 16th |
| 107 | London | APR 20 1986 | 02:41:43 | 694th |
| 108 | NJ Waterfront USA | MAY 4 1986 | 02:46:59 | 55th |
| 109 | Edinburgh, Scotland | JUN 1 1986 | 02:49:45 | 87th |
| 110 | Malta | FEB 15 1987 | 02:47:11 | 10th |
| 111 | London | APR 17 1988 | 02:51:47 | 1042nd |
| 112 | London | APR 23 1989 | 02:42:39 | 667th |
| 113 | Boston, USA | APR 16 1990 | 02:45:22 | 314th |
| 114 | London | APR 21 1991 | 02:51:12 | 1280th |
| 115 | Boston, USA | APR 15 1996 | 03:12:46 | 4174th |
OTHER STATISTICS.
Has run every day since December 20th 1964.
Over 15,000 days almost 43 years - A WORLD RECORD 'STREAK'. 26.2 of these years ran twice a day (once on Sundays) without missing a run.
Training log started September 3rd, 1956. Over 149,500 miles (240,590k) miles recorded. Has competed in more than 2200 races at distances of 800m upwards.
Raced in 96 different foreign countries, with the aim of competing in 100 by the age of 70.
Began designing running gear in 1968. Introduced synthetic fibres to running clothing. Innovated 'wrap -over split' running shorts and the use of mesh in running vests. Designed the first Union Jack running shorts. Developed the best selling running pant in the world.
Pioneered the 'glycogen loading' diet for marathons.
Email: ronhill2928@talktalk.net
