Ron Hill, John Whetton, Andy Carter and Jess Piasecki are among former members
The winter of 2024-25 sees the centenary of the University of Manchester Cross Country Club.
Over the past century the club has been at the forefront of sport at Manchester, providing opportunities for all abilities, some of whom have risen through the ranks, not least Ron Hill who joined in 1957 as a third team member and left in 1964 with his doctorate and clutching an invitation to become an Olympian and represent Great Britain in the 1964 Tokyo Games. He was, of course, to go on to have an illustrious career, winning Commonwealth and European gold at the marathon, as well as representing GB in three Olympics.
But Hill was not alone: fellow Manchester student John Whetton was also selected for both the 1964 and 1968 Olympics, finishing fifth in the 1500m final on both occasion.
The penultimate weekend of September 1969 was a proud one for the cross country club and the whole university: on the Saturday Whetton stormed home in the 1500m to win European gold in Athens; the next day, not to be outdone, Hill won the marathon to bring double gold back to Manchester. And a year later Hill was victorious in the Commonwealth Games of 1970 in what many argue was a world best time.
John Whetton (Mark Shearman)
Accompanying Hill to the 1972 Olympics was Andrew Carter, reaching the 800m final, having the previous year taken the bronze medal position in the European Championships in Helsinki; the next year the ex-Manchester student broke the British record for the third time.
To the surprise of many, and an indication of how times have changed, it is only in the last 50 years that women have been allowed to compete at cross country, with Jess Piasecki running in the 2021 Olympics, while Aimee Pratt has competed in the last two Games. Whereas at one time women were treated as second best, in recent times they have outnumbered the men and exceeded them in terms of achievements.
Further success at international level has come for over 30 ex-cross country club runners in the latter half of its existence. And the cross country club has been successful off the field also, with many members remaining in the sport post university, whether as medical directors, team managers, physiotherapists, coaches, or administrators.
Tiler Bilyard chased by Marcus Shantry (J-P Kearns)
Since the 1967 the club has promoted the University Cross Country Relays, catering for around 800 athletes, with prizes to the value of over £3000 donated by Ronhill Sports, the company that the late Ron Hill founded. This is the premier cross country relay for student teams across the country with this year’s event being held on October 26: details can be found here.
READ MORE: Ron Hill dies aged 82
March 15 will see the cross country club’s centenary dinner, with close to 200 past and present members already signed up to celebrate this landmark. You may be reading this as a past member of the club who has lost contact? If so, email brucejohngreen@yahoo.com or contact the club via its social media channels.
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