Ranelagh Harriers is a road running and cross-country club based in Petersham, Richmond, south-west London, England. The headquarters are 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 U.K. 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. Re-development 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 the park was closed for the duration of the war.[citation needed]
Post-war
The end of hostilities brought a period of struggle for survival for Ranelagh.[clarification needed] By the mid-1950s things were on the upturn, 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 Montgomery County, Maryland (near Washington, D.C.); its members have full reciprocal membership privileges when visiting the MCRRC.[citation needed]
Competitions
Ranelagh Harriers hosts two events as part of the Surrey Road League, the Ranelagh Richmond 10k and the Richmond Half Marathon.
Members of Ranelagh Harriers currently help to organize two races in the 5k Parkrun family, held every Saturday morning at 9:00am; the 1-lap event in Richmond Park, and a 3-lap race at Old Deer Park.
Team Honours
Men's
- South of Thames 5
- Surrey League Cross Country Division Two
- Surrey Road League
- Surrey 5K
- Surrey 10K
- 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004
- Surrey 10 Miles
- Surrey Half Marathon
- 1995, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006
- Surrey 20 Miles
- 1964, 1968, 1970, 1981, 1998
Ladies
- Surrey Cross Country
- Surrey League Cross Country Division One
- South of Thames 7
- South of Thames 5
- Surrey Road Relays
- Surrey Road League
- Surrey 5K
- 1992, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006
- Surrey 10K
- 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
- Surrey 10 Miles
- Surrey Half Marathon
Individual Honours
Men's
- AAA Marathon
- Scottish Marathon
- Swedish Marathon
- Inter Counties Cross Country
- Southern Counties Cross Country
- South of England 10 Miles
- South of England 20 Miles
- South of England Marathon
- South of Thames 5
- Dave Benton (1997), W.P. Bird (1957), Jim Langford (1976)
- Surrey Cross Country County Representative
- Cheshire Cross Country County Representative
- Surrey Junior Cross Country County Representative
- Surrey Cross Country
- M. Little (1980), A.C. Stansbury (1929)
- Surrey Vets Cross Country
- Surrey Junior Cross County
- BUSA Cross Country 'B' Race
- 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 Killingley(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 Synnott-Wells (2006)
- South of Thames 5
- Marie Synnott-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 Synnott-Wells (2005)
- Surrey Half Marathon
- Linda Cartwright (2000), Emily Church (2003), Marie Synnott-Wells (2005, 2006)
Club Records
| Name |
Time |
Date |
| Hugh Jones |
29.39 |
Feb 1984 |
| Malcolm East |
30.08 |
Nov 1989 |
| Vince Scammell |
30.13 |
Feb 1989 |
| Simon Collingridge |
30.46 |
Apr 1986 |
| Mike Riley |
30.54 |
Jun 1989 |
| Name |
Time |
Date |
| Priscilla Welch |
32.25 |
Mar 1985 |
| Jo Ronaldson |
34.39 |
Mar 2007 |
| Allison O'Neill |
35.32 |
Sep 2004 |
| Anna Scally |
36.28 |
Mar 2006 |
| Lauren Shelley |
36.31 |
Nov 2004 |
| Name |
Time |
Date |
| Hugh Jones |
47.20 |
Mar 1977 |
| Russell Foley |
48.30 |
Jan 1991 |
| Jim Langford |
49.07 |
Jan 1977 |
| Ian Macintosh |
49.11 |
May 1968 |
| Tim Woods |
49.18 |
May 1977 |
| Name |
Time |
Date |
| Priscilla Welch |
56.49 |
Sep 1986 |
| Caroline Brady |
58.55 |
Jan 1986 |
| Margaret Auerback |
60.29 |
Nov 1989 |
| Hilary Pratt |
60.39 |
Jan 1985 |
| Carolyn Oxton |
60.58 |
Oct 1986 |
| Name |
Time |
Date |
| Hugh Jones |
62.41 |
Apr 1987 |
| Ian Beauchamp |
65.50 |
Aug 1985 |
| Neil Ryan |
66.45 |
Jul 1970 |
| Ian Macintosh |
67.08 |
Jul 1968 |
| Jim Murphy |
67.24 |
May 1981 |
| Name |
Time |
Date |
| Priscilla Welch |
71.04 |
Sep 1984 |
| Lauren Shelley |
74.36 |
Oct 2005 |
| Jo Ronaldson |
78.24 |
Mar 2007 |
| Margaret Auerback |
78.30 |
Mar 1986 |
| Caroline Brady |
78.31 |
May 1987 |
| Name |
Time |
Date |
| Hugh Jones |
2.09.24 |
May 1982 |
| Malcolm East |
2.11.35 |
Apr 1981 |
| Ian Beauchamp |
2.17.22 |
Sep 1985 |
| Chris Wade |
2.17.42 |
Jun 1969 |
| Mike Dalton |
2.18.41 |
Apr 1990 |
| Name |
Time |
Date |
| Priscilla Welch |
2.26.50 |
May 1987 |
| Lauren Shelley |
2.33.42 |
Nov 2005 |
| Margaret Auerback |
2.48.40 |
Apr 1986 |
| Caroline Brady |
2.54.40 |
Apr 1988 |
| Nicole Docker |
2.58.38 |
Apr 1997 |
External links
