Marathon pioneer Ron Hill, one of Britain’s greatest distance runners, died on Sunday at the age of 82.
Hill was only the second man to break the two hours and 10 minutes barrier in the marathon. He won the gold medal in the 1969 European Athletics Championships marathon.
He laid claim to the longest unbroken streak of daily running after going every day for 52 years and 39 days from 1964 to 2017.
Hill also won marathon gold at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh and finished first in the 74th Boston Marathon.
He competed in the marathon at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1972 Games in Munich.
Accrington-born Hill founded sports clothing company Ronhill after his career on the track.
In a post on Twitter, the company announced his death: “It is with immense sadness we today mourn the passing of British running legend Dr. Ron Hill M.B.E.
“Our founder, our inspiration, a husband, a father, a grandfather, a runner.
“We send our thoughts to May, Graham, Steve and all the family at this time.”
(AFP)
