Who is Ron Hill?

Dr. Ron Hill M.B.E. is one of the world-class distance runners of his generation. Ron excelled at marathon distance running and was the first Briton to win the Boston Marathon, setting a course record time of 2:10:30. Later in the same year (1970) Ron went on to win Gold in the Commonwealth Games staged in Edinburgh.

Ron had a unique combination of first hand running knowledge and a career as a textile chemist. Ron was the first person to use synthetic fabrics in sportswear and invented a lot of the fabrics that today’s latest products are modern generations of.

This passion and enthusiasm to improve sportswear lead Ron to set up Ron Hill Sports on 9th September 1970.

Today, Ron has completed over 155,000 miles since he started his training log in 1956 and has run every day since December 20th 1964, quite an amazing feat of human endurance and passion for running.

What is "wicking"?

Wicking is the process of drawing moisture away from the body, through the fabric to the outer surface. At the outer surface the moisture evaporates into the air helping to keep you dry. This enhances comfort whilst running.

What is "wind resistant"?

A product that states it is wind resistant has a fabric that protects you from the cooling effect of the wind.

Why use synthetic fibres instead of cotton?

Synthetic fibres are man made and are better than cotton at transferring moisture away from the skin onto the outer surface of the fabric for evaporation. Cotton will hold moisture and can lead to you feeling cold and wet, which over prolonged periods is not good for your body during exercise.

What is elastane or Lycra?

Lycra and elastane are synthetic fibres known for their exceptional elasticity. Lycra is a branded fibre, whilst elastane is non-branded. Ronhill uses both Lycra and elastane in its Powerlite family of fabrics. Powerlite fabrics offer great freedom of movement due to their inherent stretch capability and importantly recover to their original form after being stretched.