82?!
This is so sad. His books have been such a big influence over the years.
What a legend to British Distance Running.
RIP.
Absolute legend.
RIP
Very sad day for distance running. I loved his books and once raced him at the National XC in the early 80s, remember seeing him in his Union Jack shorts (he was well past it by then!).
Gold in the marathon at the 1969 European Athletics Championships in Athens
Was the second man to break the two hours and 10 minutes barrier
Gold in the marathon at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh
Won the 74th Boston Marathon the same year.
Second Fukuoka Marathon
First non-african home in the 1968 Olympic 10,000m (6th)
My favourite, almost perfect cross country grand slam in 1968: East Lancs 1st, Lancs 1st, Northern 1st, Inter-counties 1st, National 1st, International (world) 2nd - 1.4 seconds behind Gammoudi.
....Debatably longest official unbroken streak of running every day – 52 years and 39 days – from 1964 to 2017.
Besides his running prowess, he was known for consecutive days of running. I managed a year and a half when I was in HS but he kept his running everyday streak for 52 years.
Ron Hill showed me that being obsessed was OK.
There is a very interesting film called Visions of 8, from the 1972 Olympics.
Here is a snippet of the interview with Hill
Baltimore marathon winner when it was hilly as hell.
RIP
Had a huge impact on my running, glad to have met him 3 times. He was approachable, I wrote to him a few times and he replied...I still have the letters. One of the all time greats.......
Sub Max wrote:
Gold in the marathon at the 1969 European Athletics Championships in Athens
Was the second man to break the two hours and 10 minutes barrier
Gold in the marathon at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh
Won the 74th Boston Marathon the same year.
Second Fukuoka Marathon
First non-african home in the 1968 Olympic 10,000m (6th)
My favourite, almost perfect cross country grand slam in 1968: East Lancs 1st, Lancs 1st, Northern 1st, Inter-counties 1st, National 1st, International (world) 2nd - 1.4 seconds behind Gammoudi.
....Debatably longest official unbroken streak of running every day – 52 years and 39 days – from 1964 to 2017.
crazy that he did all those accomplishments including a 2:10 Boston within that streak!
Letrun mods, we need a black front page in memory of the Lancashire legend, RIP Ron. Truly a very sad day, Ron was the rock-solid northerner that I looked up to so much and a top lad by all accounts.
I will be having a pint of bovril with my dinner tonight, cheers boyos.
Definitely a loss in the world of distance running. A pioneer in the years of the post WW2 era.
Cheers mate. May you RIP.
Barefoot Bill wrote:
Letrun mods, we need a black front page in memory of the Lancashire legend, RIP Ron. Truly a very sad day, Ron was the rock-solid northerner that I looked up to so much and a top lad by all accounts.
I will be having a pint of bovril with my dinner tonight, cheers boyos.
Well said! How about it mods?
Barefoot Bill wrote:
Letrun mods, we need a black front page in memory of the Lancashire legend, RIP Ron. Truly a very sad day, Ron was the rock-solid northerner that I looked up to so much and a top lad by all accounts.
I will be having a pint of bovril with my dinner tonight, cheers boyos.
Absolutely needs a black page. I don't really believe in having heroes but if I were to have some Ron would be one of them. I've met him three times the longest and best being a couple hours in our local running shop when he was passing through town. There's no runner I admired more and oddly, when I woke up this morning I thought of Ron and for no reason I can think of wondered how he was doing health wise.
Does anyone know of any good quotes by Ron Hill? Something inspirational or motivational or something along those lines.
Very sad indeed. He had a running line of clothes that I was trying to buy. I sent a letter to the company and he responded with “I will be in Boston in mid April- look me up” I found him after the marathon and he had my shorts & fishnet jersey with him in his bag. He was three (3) miles in front of me (I struggled to break 2:30)- yet he talked to me and treated me like I was his competition. A true gentleman and an icon and top notch ambassador for our sport.
I know Black Screens can't be for every passing, but I agree it should be used here!
Thanks vladimir for your post.
During the Boston 100 I was running up Heart Break hill and passing two guys, one who had a rather decorative top that made me realize it might have been him. I actually asked him and he confirmed and I shook his hand!
Always the fighter, he ended up passing me on Boylston before the finish. But I asked him afterwards if I was the only person ever to pass him on Heat Break. He laughed and said he didn't think it counted if he still beat me.
Wonderful man and a real character of our sport. Dementia is such an unfair way for him to go. RIP
He had a very positive and brave attitude toward this condition, which he lived with for the last few years of his life.
I have good memories of Ron hill. I raced against him in the national cross country in Leeds, Roundhay Park, 1978, and then also raced against him in the Baltimore Marathon in December 1980 in Baltimore when he finished seventh in the race in 2:27 , and I was 10 minutes behind in 2:37. Winner that day was Jerome Drayton of Canada in 2:19. Brutal hilly course, worth around 8-10”. That was the old Baltimore course.
RIP Ron Hill. Condolences to the family and the northern England running community and everyone else.
Ron pulled my classmate, Eamonn O'Reilly, to 2nd place in the 1970 Boston Marathon. At that time Eamonn's time was an American record (when they still considered Boston as a legal time). Eamonn, even though he had the American record, was 42 seconds behind Ron. Maybe he rest in peace.
Ghost1 wrote:
raced against him in the Baltimore Marathon in December 1980 in Baltimore when he finished seventh in the race in 2:27 , and I was 10 minutes behind in 2:37. Winner that day was Jerome Drayton of Canada in 2:19. Brutal hilly course, worth around 8-10”. That was the old Baltimore course.
.
No need for embellishment. Let's keep it real. The course isn't that hilly. In fact, basically one giant hill in the back.
I watched the race that year. It was a perfect Spring day in December. I got so excited watching that I ran a 25.5 mile run in 2:27 in the afternoon. It was the first day of a 177 mile week.