The Legend Ron Hill Has Stopped His Streak

I hope his health is okay. One of the real legends of Marathoning. I met him a few times, a really great down to earth guy. I wish him the best.

His streak ended the day he had knee surgery decades ago. He just didn't want to accept what was running and what was just moving.

Boston37 wrote:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2017/01/30/ron-hill-ran-every-day-for-years-until-sunday/jsylCpdsv5jtULT1KakQSL/story.html

Looked like a hippie as he floated down Beacon St in 1970. What a story.

My mom made me and my brother wear string vests like those when we were little kids. They could still be seen under our shirts and the other kids at school would do the early 1970's version of wtf? Talk about being traumatized!

Boston37 wrote:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2017/01/30/ron-hill-ran-every-day-for-years-until-sunday/jsylCpdsv5jtULT1KakQSL/story.html

Looked like a hippie as he floated down Beacon St in 1970. What a story.

Imagine how long it took him to cut out all those holes in that shirt. Talk about persistent, no wonder he had such a long running streak.

It was stupid thing to do anyway, seem to remember one time he was in hospital and went out and did a mile or something against doctors advice. Just another example of a silly old fool taking himself and putting one foot in front of the other too seriously.

Silly old fool. wrote:

It was stupid thing to do anyway, seem to remember one time he was in hospital and went out and did a mile or something against doctors advice. Just another example of a silly old fool taking himself and putting one foot in front of the other too seriously.

Saw him win Boston, snow showers in Framingham, then we drove into Boston to see finish, could do that back then. Made it look easy on a miserable day.

Definite OCD diagnosis as far as the streak goes. Waste of time, some days. Recovery is healthy. But that's our Ronnie.

Typical Mancunian mental case that turned it positive.

Yeah, he may have had some questionable days along the way, and, yeah, he may be a little OCD (as I suspect most of us on these boards also are), but you gotta give the man his due. That's a hell of a streak.

He & Mark Covert were the iron men.

one mile on crutches wrote:

His streak ended the day he had knee surgery decades ago. He just didn't want to accept what was running and what was just moving.

Agree - when he ran 2:09 he was running whereas all your running was just moving...slowly

Better a had been than a never been - just accept you are a loser like the rest of us

Yes, those streakers do end up at a point where you wonder whether he owns the streak or the streak owns him. I know one of the top guys on the list and one day he had excruciating kidney pain on an early morning run, went to the hospital and had kidney stones removed. Then he had to lace them up before midnight the next day and stagger a couple miles to keep the streak going.

Props to him, a legend in our sport. I wish him well.

Sadly, I don't think he ever recovered from me passing him in the Boston 100th on Heartbreak Hill. Ok, past his prime but in my defense so was I ;-)

I shook his hand and wished him well, but wondered how many other people could say they passed the Legend Ron Hill on Heartbreak?

To be fair, I tied up later, as usual, and he passed me again at 25 miles. Grrrr

My mom is faster over 10k

Rebeccs wrote:

My mom is faster over 10k

And evidently no slouch at raising idiots either.

ukathleticscoach wrote:

one mile on crutches wrote:

His streak ended the day he had knee surgery decades ago. He just didn't want to accept what was running and what was just moving.

Agree - when he ran 2:09 he was running whereas all your running was just moving...slowly

Better a had been than a never been - just accept you are a loser like the rest of us

Hopefully you realize that you are agreeing with me. I'm not betting on it though.

HRE wrote:

Rebeccs wrote:

My mom is faster over 10k

And evidently no slouch at raising idiots either.

HRE maybe you can glean some wisdom from Hill ending his streak.

This guy wouldn't have been half the runner without this level of dedication. This is your ultimate blue collar runner.

OCD can be the horse that carries you to greatness, but also to an early grave. I follow more of an Ed Whitlock approach: better to take today off and live to run another day.

I think a healthier "streak" would be to run, say, at least 1000 miles/year.

Pro Mag wrote:

OCD can be the horse that carries you to greatness, but also to an early grave. I follow more of an Ed Whitlock approach: better to take today off and live to run another day.

Agree, I've lost count of the number of runners I've known over the last 50 years, many of them world class, who've had to give it away because of their reluctance to take adequate recovery and breaks because of injury. Ron Hill is not a good role model, Ed Whitlock is.

one mile on crutches wrote:

ukathleticscoach wrote:

Agree - when he ran 2:09 he was running whereas all your running was just moving...slowly

Better a had been than a never been - just accept you are a loser like the rest of us

Hopefully you realize that you are agreeing with me. I'm not betting on it though.

Haha, that's funny and he considers himself a loser too. Just for the record Mr(?) ukathleticscoach, I don't consider myself a loser like you just because I didn't move my legs in a questionable running movement every day for 52 years.