Saturday, October 24 marks the 60th — diamond — edition of the Ron Hill Manchester Relays at Wythenshawe Sports Ground, as the student cross country relay founded by Olympians Ron Hill and John Whetton in 1967 continues to grow.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Manchester University students travelled to London for the Imperial College Hyde Park relays, and the experience inspired them to stage their own event back home. Among those promoting the idea were Ron Hill and John Whetton, both Tokyo Olympians. That first relay in 1967 was a success, and the event has gone from strength to strength ever since — much like Hill himself, who went on to compete at three Olympics and set world records over several distances.

Now named the Ron Hill Manchester Relays in his memory, last year's edition saw 213 teams finish, backed by Ronhill — the sportswear company named after him — with a prize list worth more than £3000.

Graham Richards of Ronhill said: "We are very proud to continue our support of, and association with, such an iconic running event, especially with it being the 60th (diamond) anniversary. It is a fantastic achievement for the relays to continue and go from strength-to-strength, following on from the initial staging in 1967."

Since Hill's death, his family and Ronhill have helped establish the event as the biggest and best student cross country relay in the country, while keeping it open to clubs as well as universities. In 1967, the race was for men only, run over six two-mile legs per team; women were not able to enter until the early 1980s. Last year, 104 women's teams of three took part alongside the men's and mixed races, all run over six legs.

Birmingham University had a monopoly on the men's race in recent years until last year, when they lost their title to Leeds Beckett, with neighbours Leeds University taking second. Birmingham's women, however, held on to top spot. Lagan Valley travelled from Ireland to take the men's club prizes.

The past year has also been a breakthrough one for Manchester PhD student Arlo Ludewick. His first step was winning the opening leg of last year's relay with the fastest lap of the day — and a Ronhill prize for his efforts. He went on to take the British 1500m title, having never previously reached the final, before running 3:48 for the mile and finishing fifth in the European 1500m final.

With recreational running booming, clubs that haven't competed before are welcome and will receive a 50% discount, while Ronhill is offering a discount code to all competitors.

Date: Saturday, October 24
Venue: Wythenshawe Sports Ground, Manchester M23 0BD
Contact: [email protected]