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Have ‘advances’ taken us backwards?
Dr Ron Hill, MBE really needs no introduction, so we’ll cut right to the chase…
“2010 is a significant year for me, as it is the 40th anniversary of me forming Ronhill Sports and also the 40th anniversary of me winning the Boston Marathon and the Commonwealth Marathon. From a running perspective it was my ‘purple patch’ as the previous year I had won the European Marathon, in Athens. My win in Boston was a course record (2 hours 10 minutes) and I was the first Briton to win this prestigious event. In July of that year, I won the Commonwealth marathon, in 2.09.28 – a world record.
Boston highlights the major difference in how the sport has progressed in recent years due to commercialisation. My ticket to Boston was funded by a ‘whip round’ by the Road Runners Club, I stayed with a family while in Boston, and my prize for winning was a medal! In later years, my record was broken by an Australian athlete, Rob De Castella, and he won $250,000, would have been on full expenses and would have still got the bloody medal!
In terms of business the main change in the past 40 years has been the development of technical performance yarns and apparel. When I first started running, all that was available was a cotton vest and shorts (with no brief inside). Having a PhD, in Textile Chemistry, I was always interested in developing better fabrics for running. I bought a string vest from the Army and Navy stores and ran in that for many races, as it offered better cooling properties. I then went on to design my own mesh vest which became a really popular piece in the Ronhill range for years, especially for distance runners. Nowadays technical fabrics, compression clothing and science are key for all brands. Likewise footwear, socks and accessories have all developed significantly. My only concern is that despite all of these technical advances and knowledge, our best marathon runners are still not achieving the times that I and my fellow marathon colleagues ran 40 years ago!”
Dr Ron Hill, MBE.
