‘Ronning’ of course refers to a man who still wows us here at GO Outdoors, running every single day- well into his 70’s. It is, of course, Ron Hill MBE.
Ronhill was started by Ron, as was Hilly. Ron was born in 1938 and has a variety of achievements, many of which are listed on his website.
In his 70's and still running every single day!
Here are a few.
- Ron was the first ever Britain to win the Boston Marathon, in 2 hours 10minutes and 30 seconds (1970) and he has also run two Olympic events at both Munich and Tokyo.
- Ron received gold at the Commonwealth Games recording a time of 2 hours, 9 minutes 28 seconds(1970)
- Ron runs every day, and has a world record for doing so – he has run every single day since December 20th 1964.
- This consistent running works out at over 15,000 days -almost 44 years of running– known as a streak. (If that wasn’t enough 26.2 of these years he ran twice a day (once on Sundays) without missing a run!)
- Ron started his training log in 1956. In this, he has over 149,500 miles (240,590k) recorded.
- Ron has taken part in over 2200 800metre plus races! He has run these in over 96 countries.
- He also pioneered the glycogen loading diet for marathon runners, which is low carb followed by high carb in order to help muscles recuperate.
Lucky Number 108!
Ron first started to design running gear in 1968, and as we can learn from hi slog, that was 12 years into his running career. The key to Ron’s designs is his experience running and his intuition on what runners need. Some classic pieces include the best selling Trackster Classics, running trousers made from synthetics with a simple inner pocket, a drawstring adjuster and stirrup bottoms, as well as the classic wrap over shorts.
As well as using mesh, Ron also started to use synthetics, a massive advancement in how running gear is made to this date. Pretty much everything you wear when you run will have been influenced by Ron at some point, from the mesh in your top, to the polyester in your shorts.
Ron took his expertise with running gear to the brand Hilly in the 1990’s, most famously with technical double layer running socks known as either ‘mono or twin skins’, known as some of the best, most technical running socks sold.
Ron Hill is a truly remarkable brand, as is Hilly, and the advancements in the gear sold is a testament to Ron himself. Running for decades, he is an excellent example of the power to be harnessed when you never slow down!
I thought I would finish the blog writing about what our favorite Ronhill or Hilly pieces are here with the regular runners here at GO Outdoors HQ.
Mine is my Hilly handheld Hydrafuel water bottle with strap. When I run I carry the world with me. Keys, lip balm with an SPF, my phone for emergencies , mp3 player, tissues- I don’t really travel light! This handy zip up case is attached to the sport style bottle, so I can drink and carry my gear without overloading my pockets or resorting to a bum bag- I’m not ready to go there yet. I think this is a fantastic product. The sports cap is gnawed to death, but I’m not ready to get a new one quite yet!
Victoria Jones- Running Buyer
“I’m the running buyer so I source all the new running gear for GO Outdoors each season, and when it comes to my own running gear I love classic as well as new stuff. It’s very hard to choose between Ronhill product because it does the job so well. I would have to say, however, that pretty much on every run, I take my Vizion Windlite Jacket.
It’s really light and breathable, so it keeps me cool when I get a little too hot and because it isn’t coated to be waterproof, although it is water repellent if I get caught in the rain. And because it’s got fleecey parts on the neck it feels quite nice when you pull it on in Winter – especially on those days when it’s a bit harder to get up and out the door!”
Dave Palmer – Graphic Designer and regular competitor!
“I run in most weather conditions and I love the advance racer shorts. These are long so you get more coverage than short shorts and i’m quite tall but they still fit just right. They are simple, but good for just pulling on and going off in. They’ve got a zip pocket in the back which is good enough sized for my inhaler and keys. Asides that, like the tech t’s. I’ve got the Pursuit which is really lightweight, really quick drying and doesn’t seem to chafe, yet!”
So there you have it. Some inspiration from Ron Hill MBE, and some gear recommendation from us here at GO (not quite Olympians, but just as enthused about decent kit and the perfect run!)
Elaine
