Ranelagh Harriers


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.

Post-war

The end of hostilities brought a period of struggle for survival for Ranelagh. 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, in Montgomery County, Maryland ; its members have full reciprocal membership privileges when visiting the MCRRC.

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 runs in the 5k Parkrun family, held every Saturday morning at 9:00am; the 1-lap event in Richmond Park, and a 3-lap run at Old Deer Park.

Team Honours

Men's

Men's

NameTimeDate
Hugh Jones29.39Feb 1984
Malcolm East30.08Nov 1989
Vince Scammell30.13Feb 1989
Simon Collingridge30.46Apr 1986
Mike Riley30.54Jun 1989

NameTimeDate
Priscilla Welch32.25Mar 1985
Jo Ronaldson34.39Mar 2007
Allison O'Neill35.32Sep 2004
Anna Scally36.28Mar 2006
Lauren Shelley36.31Nov 2004

NameTimeDate
Hugh Jones47.20Mar 1977
Russell Foley48.30Jan 1991
Jim Langford49.07Jan 1977
Ian Macintosh49.11May 1968
Tim Woods49.18May 1977

NameTimeDate
Priscilla Welch56.49Sep 1986
Caroline Brady58.55Jan 1986
Margaret Auerback60.29Nov 1989
Hilary Pratt60.39Jan 1985
Carolyn Oxton60.58Oct 1986

NameTimeDate
Hugh Jones62.41Apr 1987
Ian Beauchamp65.50Aug 1985
Neil Ryan66.45Jul 1970
Ian Macintosh67.08Jul 1968
Jim Murphy67.24May 1981

NameTimeDate
Priscilla Welch71.04Sep 1984
Lauren Shelley74.36Oct 2005
Jo Ronaldson78.24Mar 2007
Margaret Auerback78.30Mar 1986
Caroline Brady78.31May 1987

NameTimeDate
Hugh Jones2.09.24May 1982
Malcolm East2.11.35Apr 1981
Ian Beauchamp2.17.22Sep 1985
Chris Wade2.17.42Jun 1969
Mike Dalton2.18.41Apr 1990

NameTimeDate
Priscilla Welch2.26.50May 1987
Lauren Shelley2.33.42Nov 2005
Margaret Auerback2.48.40Apr 1986
Caroline Brady2.54.40Apr 1988
Nicole Docker2.58.38Apr 1997