View source for Ron Hill

{{Short description|British long distance runner (1938–2021)}}
{{for|the rugby league footballer|Ronald Hill}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           = Ron Hill<br /><small>{{nobold|{{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}}}}</small>
| image          = Ron Hill 1975.jpg
| image_size     = 250
| caption        = Hill at the [[Enschede Marathon]] in 1975
| birth_date     = {{birth date|1938|09|25|df=yes}}
| birth_place    = [[Accrington]], [[Lancashire]], England 
| death_date     = {{death date and age|2021|5|23|1938|9|25|df=y}}
| death_place    = [[Hyde, Greater Manchester|Hyde]], [[Cheshire]], England<ref name=robinson>{{citation |last=Robinson |first=Roger |title=Ron Hill, Boston Marathon Record Holder Who Had 52-Year Running Streak, Dies at 82 | newspaper=[[Runner's World]] |date=May 24, 2021 |url=https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a36512437/ron-hill-dies-at-82/}}</ref>
| height         = 1.67 m
| weight         = 61 kg
| sport          = Long-distance running
| club           = Clayton-Le-Moors Harriers, Lancashire
| olympics       = 1964, 1968, 1972
| medaltemplates = 
{{Medal|Sport | Men's [[athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country | {{GBR2}} }}
{{Medal|Competition|[[European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold| [[1969 European Athletics Championships|1969 Athens]]|[[1969 European Athletics Championships – Men's marathon|Marathon]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze| [[1971 European Athletics Championships|1971 Helsinki]]|[[1971 European Athletics Championships – Men's marathon|Marathon]]}}
{{Medal|Country | {{ENG}} }}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Commonwealth Games]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1970 British Commonwealth Games|1970 Edinburgh]]|[[Athletics at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games|Marathon]]}}
}}

'''Ronald Hill''' [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (25 September 1938 – 23 May 2021) was a British runner and clothing entrepreneur. He was the second man to break 2:10 in the [[marathon]]; he set world records at four other distances, and laid claim to the [[Marathon world record progression|marathon world record]].{{#tag:ref|In an interview with Amby Burfoot of ''Runner's World'', Hill commented: "I won the Commonwealth Championships in Edinburgh in 2:09:28, which I claim was a world record because the attempts to remeasure [[Derek Clayton]]'s course in Antwerp [Clayton ran 2:08:34 at Antwerp in 1969] were never successfully carried out."<ref>[http://dailynews.runnersworld.com/2008/09/ron-hill-chat-d.html A Brief Chat with Ron Hill] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205193818/http://dailynews.runnersworld.com/2008/09/ron-hill-chat-d.html |date=5 December 2008 }}, 28 September 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2009.</ref> Some road racing authorities, including the Association of Road Racing Statisticians, consider Clayton's performance to have occurred on a short course and recognise Hill in the progression for world best in the marathon.<ref>Association of Road Racing Statisticians, [https://www.arrs.run/RecProg/RP_wwR.htm World Best Progressions- Road]. Retrieved 31 July 2009.</ref>|group="nb"}} He ran two [[Summer Olympic Games|Olympic]] Marathons ([[1964 Summer Olympics|Tokyo 1964]] and [[1972 Summer Olympics|Munich 1972]]), and achieved a personal marathon record of 2:09:28.<ref name=r1/> In 1970, Hill won the 74th [[Boston Marathon]] in a course record 2:10:30. He also won gold medals for the marathon at the [[European Championships in Athletics|European Championships]] in 1969 and the [[Commonwealth Games]] in 1970. Hill laid claim to the longest streak of consecutive days running{{snd}}every day for 52 years and 39 days from 1964 to 2017.

==Early life==

Hill was educated at [[Accrington Grammar School]].<ref name="n364">{{cite news| last=Flanagan | first=Chris | title=Ron Hill life story | website=Lancashire Telegraph | date=13 October 2008 | url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/athletics/3752329.ron-hill-life-story---part-two/ | access-date=25 November 2024}}</ref>

==Running career==
Hill held world records for {{convert|10|mi|km}} (47:02, Leicester, April 1968; 46:44, Leicester, November 1968); {{convert|15|mi|km}} (72:48.2, Bolton, July 1965); and 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) (75:22.6, Bolton, July 1965).

In 1963, Hill won the {{convert|6|mi|km|adj=on}} event at the British [[Amateur Athletic Association]] (AAA) championships in a time of 27:49.8, equalling the UK record. In the following year's AAA six mile (10&nbsp;km) race, Hill was outsprinted by [[Michael Bullivant|Mike Bullivant]], who won by less than half a second; both runners, however, finished more than twenty seconds under the UK record. At the 1964 Olympic Games in [[Tokyo]], Hill placed 18th in the [[10000 metres]], in a time of 29:53.0, and 19th in the marathon, in 2:25:34.4.<ref name=r1>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/hi/ron-hill-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418040014/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/hi/ron-hill-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=Ron Hill}}</ref>

In 1964, Hill set his first world record, clocking 1:15:22.6 for {{convert|25|km|mi|1}} eclipsing [[Emil Zátopek]]'s previous mark by more than 1 minute; he also set another world record of 1:12:48.2 for {{convert|15|mi|km}} along the way.

Hill was the first winner of the [[Freckleton Half Marathon]] in 1964 and still holds the course record of 1 hour 4 minutes 45 seconds.

In 1966, Hill competed in the European Championships Marathon, finishing twelfth.

On 6 April 1968, in the British AAA {{convert|10|mi|km|adj=on}} championship at [[Leicester]], Hill set a new world record of 47:02.2; he won the AAA {{convert|10|mi|km|adj=on}} every year between 1965 and 1969. Later in 1968, he again lowered the world {{convert|10|mi|km|adj=on}} world record, to 46:44.0. In the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in [[Mexico City]], he placed seventh in the 10000 m.<ref name=r1/>

In 1969, Hill won the [[1969 European Championships in Athletics|European Championships]] Marathon on the [[Marathon, Greece|Marathon]]-to-[[Athens]] course.

In 1970, Hill became the first British runner to win the [[Boston Marathon]],<ref>{{Cite news|title=British marathon great Hill dies aged 82|language=en-GB|work=BBC Sport|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/57220289|access-date=23 May 2021}}</ref> by a wide margin, shattering the course record by three minutes with a time of 2:10:30. In July, at the [[1970 British Commonwealth Games|British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh]], he became the second man ever after [[Derek Clayton]] to break the 2:10 barrier, clocking a world record time of 2:09:28.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Robinson|first=Roger|date=2021-05-24|title=Ron Hill, Boston Marathon Record Holder Who Had 52-Year Running Streak, Dies at 82|url=https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a36512437/ron-hill-dies-at-82/|access-date=2021-05-31|website=Runner's World|language=en-US}}</ref> Hill was timed in 29:24 for the first {{convert|10|km|mi}} in Edinburgh, the equivalent of a 2:04 marathon pace, described as "suicidal".<ref>[http://www.time-to-run.com/marathon/athletes/men/hill.htm Ron Hill]. time-to-run.com. 31 December 2006.</ref> He arrived at the [[Fukuoka Marathon]] as a clear favourite, but placed only ninth in 2:15:27.<ref>K. Ken Nakamura. [http://www2.iaaf.org/TheSport/sport/Mar/FukuokaPart5.html A history of the Fukuoka International Marathon Championships] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819161801/http://www2.iaaf.org/TheSport/Sport/Mar/FukuokaPart5.html |date=19 August 2012 }}. iaaf.org</ref>

Hill was ranked as the top marathoner of the year for 1970 by ''[[Track & Field News]]'', on the strength of his two important wins – the Boston and British Commonwealth Games marathons. The next year, in the [[1972 New Year Honours]], Hill was appointed [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) for services to athletics.<ref>United Kingdom list: {{London Gazette |issue=45554 |date=31 December 1971 |pages=15   |supp=y}}</ref> His final Olympic games was at the [[1972 Munich Olympics]], where he finished sixth in the marathon at the age of 33.<ref name=r1/>

Hill was the winner of the first China Coast Marathon (CCM), held in [[Hong Kong]] in 1981, with the result of 2:34:35. He described it as "the toughest marathon he'd run".<ref>[http://www.avohk.org/index.php?_room=16&_subRoom=26 Gammon Construction China Coast Marathon and Half Marathon], Athlete Veterans of Hong Kong Official Site</ref>

===Consecutive days streak===
Hill did not miss a day of running between 20 December 1964 and 30 January 2017 – a total of 52 years and 39 days. Hill defined a "run" as completing a distance of at least one mile at any pace.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0%2C7120%2Cs6-243-297--9700-0%2C00.html |title=Ron Hill |access-date=9 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060821204334/http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0%2C7120%2Cs6-243-297--9700-0%2C00.html |archive-date=21 August 2006 }}. Runners World. August 2004</ref> His streak included workouts after a car crash in 1993 when Hill broke his sternum, and after [[bunion]] surgery, after which he used a crutch to cover one mile (1.6&nbsp;km) in 27 minutes the next day. In December 2013, his streak entered its 50th year; his total logged lifetime mileage was at 158,628.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ronhill.com/blog/49-years-on-the-run |title=49 years on the Run! |date=20 December 2014 |publisher=ronhill.com |access-date=11 October 2014}}</ref> At the end of April 2014 it stood at 159,106.5.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ronhill.com/blog/april-2014-blog |title=April 2014 Blog |date=10 June 2014 |publisher=ronhill.com |access-date=11 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-30556306 |title=Ron Hill, 76, completes 50-year run feat in Heaton Park |access-date=31 January 2017}}</ref>
On 20 December 2014, Hill completed [[Manchester]]'s 5&nbsp;km [[Heaton Park]] [[parkrun]], achieving his goal of running at least a mile a day for 50 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-30556306|title=Ron Hill, 76, completes 50-year run feat in Heaton Park|date=20 December 2014|via=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>

On 30 January 2017 his Facebook page announced that "Due to ill health Ron has decided to take a day off", thus ending his streak.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-38810882 |title=Olympian Ron Hill ends 52-year running streak |date=31 January 2017 |newspaper=BBC News |language=en-GB |access-date=31 January 2017}}</ref> Ending his streak at 52 years and 39 days, Hill had pains in his chest while running and made the decision to not run the next day to address the issue. "After 400m my heart started to hurt and by the time I got to the one mile (1.6 km) point I thought I was going to die," he said. "I was in such pain and I thought 'no, hang on, this isn't going anywhere at the moment', and really in respect of my wife, two sons and friends I need to stop this."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-38810882|title=Olympian Ron Hill ends 52-year running streak|date=31 January 2017|via=www.bbc.com}}</ref>

==Achievements==
*<small>All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise</small>
{| {{AchievementTable}}
|-
!colspan="5"|Representing {{GBR2}}
|-
|rowspan=2|1970
|[[Boston Marathon]] 
|[[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston, United States]]
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|2:10:30
|-
|[[Commonwealth Games]]
|[[Edinburgh, Scotland]]
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|2:09:28 PR
|-
|1973
|[[Enschede Marathon]] 
|[[Enschede, Netherlands]]
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|2:18:06
|-
|1975
|[[Enschede Marathon]] 
|[[Enschede, Netherlands]]
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|2:15:59
|}

==Later life==
After graduating from the [[University of Manchester]] with a PhD in textile chemistry, Hill was convinced of the benefits of synthetic materials for runners. In 1970 he started a company named Ron Hill Sports, which pioneered various products including wrap-over shorts, mesh vests, waterproof running jackets, and reflective strips. Hill related that he founded the company "because I was running to and from work in the dark in winter and wondered what I needed to stay safe." Company sales at one point exceeded £6&nbsp;million, but Hill sold out due to financial difficulties in the early 1990s. He later started ''Hilly Clothing'' specialising in technical socks and other apparel.<ref>* [http://www.hillyclothing.co.uk/ Website of ''Hilly Clothing'']. hillyclothing.co.uk</ref>

Hill achieved his goal of racing in 100 countries before his 70th birthday with races in [[Panama]] and the [[Faroe Islands]]. His final marathon was the 100th Boston Marathon, in 1996. He completed 115 marathons, 112 under 2:50, 103 under 2:45, and 29 under 2:20. Hill recorded 21 marathon victories in his career, placing second 13 times, and third 8 times.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://more.arrs.run/runner/8176|title=Ron Hill running profile at ARRS|website=more.arrs.run|access-date=September 20, 2022}}</ref>

Hill was president of the [[Road Runners Club (UK)|Road Runners Club]] from 1987 to 1988.

Hill died on 23 May 2021, at the age of 82.<ref name="Ron Hill: Former European and Commonwealth marathon champion dies aged 82">{{cite web |title=Ron Hill: Former European and Commonwealth marathon champion dies aged 82 |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/57220289 |website=BBC Sport |access-date=24 May 2021}}</ref> His son Steven said the cause of death was urosepsis.<ref name="Ron Hill, Marathoner Who Set Record in Boston, Dies at 82">{{cite web |title= Ron Hill, Marathoner Who Set Record in Boston, Dies at 82
 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/09/sports/ron-hill-dead.html |website=NYTimes |access-date=20 Dec 2023}}</ref>

==Publications==
* ''The Long Hard Road: An Autobiography''. 1981. Ron Hill Sports. {{ISBN|0-9507882-0-1}}

==See also==
*[[Bill Smith (fell runner)]]

==Notes==
<references group="nb"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.ronhill.com/ Website of ''Ronhill Outdoor & Sports Company Ltd'']
*[http://www.ronhill.co.nz NZ Website of ''Ronhill Outdoor & Sports Company Ltd'']
* [http://www.ronhill.com/blog/category/dr-rons-blog Ron's Journal]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080528224850/http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297--9700-0,00.html RunnersWorld.com] – 'Always up for a Run', Joanna Sayago, ''[[Runner's World]]''
* [http://www.time-to-run.com/marathon/athletes/men/hill.htm ''Athletes of the marathon – Ron Hill''] – time-to-run.com
* [https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/athletics-after-15696-daily-jogs-ron-hill-can-give-alf-tupper-a-run-for-his-money-765624.html ''Marathon Man: After 15,696 daily jogs, Ron Hill can give Alf Tupper a run for his money''] – Article by Simon Turnbull, [[The Independent]], 16 December 2007
* [https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/sep/21/athletics ''This Ron will run and run''] – Article by Jon Henderson, [[The Observer]], 21 September 2008

{{s-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box|before=[[Derek Graham]]|title=[[Half marathon#Men.27s Seasons Best|Men's Half Marathon Best Year Performance]]|years=1971|after=[[Víctor Mora (runner)|Víctor Mora]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Footer Commonwealth Champions Marathon Men}}
{{Footer WBYP Marathon Men}}
{{Footer Boston Marathon Champions Men}}
{{Footer Enschede Marathon Champions Men}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Ron}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Accrington]]
[[Category:English male marathon runners]]
[[Category:British male marathon runners]]
[[Category:British masters athletes]]
[[Category:British male writers]]
[[Category:British exercise and fitness writers]]
[[Category:English exercise and fitness writers]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games bronze medalists for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:European Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Boston Marathon male winners]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1963 Summer Universiade]]
[[Category:British male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:English autobiographers]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:People educated at Accrington Grammar School]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics]]