Ranelagh Harriers

The Ranelagh Harriers is a road running and cross-country club based in Richmond, south-west London, UK. The club is based at its clubhouse behind the Dysart Arms pub and right next to Richmond Park, allowing plenty of opportunity for off-road running. Ranelagh athletes compete in many events from the 5k to ultramarathons on a variety of terrains, and in the Surrey Road League and Surrey Cross Country League.

The early days

Ranelagh Harriers was founded in 1881, and so is one of the oldest athletics clubs in the United Kingdom. It was one of the founder members of the English Cross Country Union, in 1883, and is now one of only eleven of those founder members still in existence. The club's first home was at the Green Man on Putney Heath, and the earliest recorded runs were out to the Windmill on Wimbledon Common and back.

Redevelopment forced the club to look for a new home during the mid-1930s, and a suitable site was found in an old pavilion at the back of the Dysart Arms, right on the edge of Richmond Park. New courses were quickly devised in the park and the club settled in, only for activities to be interrupted by the Second World War, when even those still at home were unable to use the park, which was closed for the duration of the war.

Post-war

The end of hostilities brought a period of struggle for survival for Ranelagh, but by the mid-1950s things were on the upturn again, and the club started to look at improving its accommodation at the Dysart. In 1967, a new pre-fabricated dressing room was erected, though the old ramshackle bath-house was still in use. After further years of fund-raising, the new purpose-built clubhouse was finally opened in 1988 and the process was completed in 1995 with the purchase of the land on which the clubhouse stands - giving Ranelagh security of tenure in perpetuity.

Ranelagh has a sister organization, the Montgomery County Road Runners Club (MCRRC), in Maryland near Washington, DC. Ranelagh members have full reciprocal membership privileges when visiting the MCRRC.

Competitions

Ranelagh Harriers hosts two events as part of the Surrey Road League, the Dysart Dash 10k and the Richmond Half Marathon. In 2006 the Dysart Dash senior men's winner was Stuart Major of South London Harriers and the senior women's winner was Naomi Warner of Thames Hare and Hounds. The Richmond Half Marathon senior men's winner was Ranelagh Harrier Phil Killingly and Angela Howe of London Heathside won the Senior Women's title. Phil winning in a new course record time of 70.30.

Members of Ranelagh Harriers help to organise the Richmond Park Time Trial held every Saturday in Richmond Park. This one lap 5k race is part of the UK Time Trial family.

Team Honours

Men's

*South of Thames 5
**2001
*"'Surrey League Cross Country Division Two
**2006
*Surrey Road League
**2002, 2003
*Surrey 5K
**1996, 2003
*Surrey 10K
**1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004
*Surrey 10 Miles
**2002, 2006
*Surrey Half Marathon
**1995, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006
*Surrey 20 Miles
**1964, 1968, 1970, 1981, 1998

Ladies

*"'Surrey Cross Country
**2005, 2006
*"'Surrey League Cross Country Division One
**2005, 2006, 2008
*South of Thames 7
**2004, 2005
*South of Thames 5
**2005
*Surrey Road Relays
**2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
*Surrey Road League
**2002, 2005, 2006
*Surrey 5K
**1992, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006
*Surrey 10K
**1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
*Surrey 10 Miles
**2005
*Surrey Half Marathon
**2000, 2003, 2004, 2006

Individual Honours

Men's

*AAA Marathon
**Hugh Jones (1981, 1986, 1987)
*Scottish Marathon
**Ian Macintosh (1978)
*Swedish Marathon
**Chris Wade (1968, 1969)
*Inter Counties Cross Country
**C.S. Sydenham (1897)
*Southern Counties Cross Country
**Sid Thomas (1888, 1889)
*South of England 10 Miles
**Hugh Jones (1976)
*South of England 20 Miles
**David Wright (1985)
*South of England Marathon
**Hugh Jones (1982)
*South of Thames 5
**Dave Benton (1997), W.P. Bird (1957), Jim Langford (1976)
*Surrey Cross Country County Representative
**Phil Killingly (2006)
*Cheshire Cross Country County Representative
**Duncan Bell (2006)
*Surrey Junior Cross Country County Representative
**Sam Perkins (2007)
*Surrey Cross Country
**M. Little (1980), A.C. Stansbury (1929)
*Surrey Vets Cross Country
**Paul Doyle (2006, 2007)
*Surrey Junior Cross County
**Sam Perkins (2007)
*BUSA Cross Country 'B' Race
**Sam Perkins (2007)
*Surrey Road League
**Paul Doyle (2003, 2004, 2005)
*Surrey 10K
**Dave Benton (1999), Paul Doyle (2004, 2005)
*Surrey Half Marathon
**Dave Benton (2000), Paul Doyle (2004), Phil Killingly(2006), Darryl McDonald (2001, 2003)

Ladies

*WAAA Marathon
**Priscilla Welsh (1984, 1987)
*Surrey Cross Country County Representatives
**Jo Ronaldson (2006, 2007), Anna Scally (2006, 2007), Marie Synott-Wells (2006)
*South of Thames 5
**Marie Synott-Wells (2005)
*South of Thames 7
**Sarah Smith (2004), Jo Ronaldson (2005)
*Surrey Road League
**Liz Kipling (2002, 2004), Anna Scally (2005)
*Surrey 5K Champion
**Liz Kipling (2002), Jo Ronaldson (2005, 2006)
*Surrey 10K Champion
**Jo Ronaldson (2006), Sarah Smith (2003)
*Surrey 10 Miles
**Sarah Smith (2003), Marie Synott-Wells (2005)
*Surrey Half Marathon
**Linda Cartwright (2000), Emily Church (2003), Marie Synott-Wells (2005, 2006)

Club Records

*Men's 10K

*Women's 10 Miles

*Men's Marathon

*Women's Marathon

External links

* [http://www.ranelagh-harriers.com/ Ranelagh-Harriers.com] - 'Ranelagh Harriers, Richmond's Running Club'
* [http://www.parkrun.com/] - 'UK Time Trials'