Remembering Dr Ron Hill MBE

ONE year on from the death of Dr Ron Hill – who lived in Hyde and died on May 23 last year aged 82 – we are remembering and celebrating his life, accomplishments and his proud Tameside roots.

He came to national prominence when he represented Britain in the 10,000 metres at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and went on to become one of distance running’s all-time greats.

Using his doctorate in textile chemistry, he founded Ron Hill Sports in 1970, pioneering revolutionary lightweight kit. The brand was so successful that it became synonymous with running.

In 1981, Dr Hill launched the Tour of Tameside, which has been billed as the toughest challenge in British athletics.

The Ron Hill 7, which concludes this year’s Tour on Sunday, June 19, will be followed by a pie-and-pint event at Hyde Town Hall (the start and finishing point for the stage) in his memory which will feature an exhibition of memorabilia.

Ron Hill won marathon gold at the 1969 European Championships in Athens and the 1970 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games. In 1971 he took bronze at the Helsinki European Championships and finished sixth at the 1972 Munich Olympics behind such legendary athletes as Frank Shorter of the USA and Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia.

He also laid claim to the longest streak of consecutive running – every day for 52 years and 39 days from 1964 to 2017.

Dr Hill held a host of world records and won several overseas marathons including Boston in 1970 when he shattered the course record by three minutes. He had raced in 100 countries before his 70th birthday.

To mark the anniversary of Dr Hill’s death, discussions are under way with his family to create a lasting memorial to an honorary freeman of Tameside who achieved so much on the international stage as an athlete and entrepreneur.

Mr Steven Pleasant, chief executive of Tameside Council, said: “Ron, who lived in Hyde for most of his life, brought great credit to the town and to Tameside as a world-class athlete and businessman. Almost a year after his death he is still greatly missed

“The Tour of Tameside and his sporting record will always be his greatest memorial. However, we feel it is only right that a person of his stature should have some sort of lasting tribute in the borough.

“We are speaking to his family to settle on something fitting for the well-loved, exceptional man he was.”