British long distance runner who won gold medals and broke records in the marathon during the 1960s and 70s
Ron Hill, who has died aged 82, was an exceptional and versatile British long distance runner who won gold in the marathon at the 1969 European Championships and the 1970 Commonwealth Games. He broke four world records in various events and ran in 115 marathons. Even today his best marathon time, 2hr 9min 28sec, ranks as one of the quickest by any Briton.
Running in the amateur era, Hill combined his athletics career with a job as a textile scientist, and revealed considerable entrepreneurial skills when he set up a multimillion-pound own-label sportswear company called Ron Hill Sports, which continues to this day as Ronhill.
