Ronhill: fell running shoes designed a former champion

It started with a chance inquiry about his dad’s socks but resulted in a dream job with one of the world’s most innovative sports clothing manufacturers. Champion fell runner Harry Bolton got his father Tony into the sport and during the COVID-19 pandemic his dad emailed sportswear company Ronhill seeking advice about the best running socks to wear.

“But because most of the staff had been furloughed the email was actually answered by the managing director and dad chatted to him about me,” recalls Harry, 23, of Caldbeck.

“I loved football when I was at Fell View Primary School and just seemed to have natural stamina as I ran up and down the wing at full speed but never seemed to tire. When I went to Keswick School I wasn’t really big enough to be successful at the sport so my teachers encouraged me to take up running.”

Harry with his dad Tony Bolton at the British Championships, in Northern Ireland (Image: Harry Bolton)

Harry joined Keswick Athletics Club and began entering races, which he loved. He then went to Loughborough University to study a B.Eng in sports engineering. “That summer I went abroad inter-railing across Europe travelling between different mountain races,” he recalls. “I started to take my running more seriously. All of a sudden I was performing better than ever.”

His course looked at sports engineering in an applied way and resulted in him thinking about fulfilling a dream he’d had from school to design his own gear. When he was studying A-Levels he even designed a fell running shoe, which won him a prize in a national design competition.

As the result of his father’s email, Harry was offered a year-long placement with Ronhill, a company founded in 1970 by top athlete Dr Ron Hill, the first Briton to win the Boston Marathon in a record time of 2:10:30; he also set a world record streak of running 19,032 consecutive days.

Harry is in the Skyrunning UK team (Image: Steve Ashworth)

However, due to the protracted nature of the pandemic Harry was unable to take up the post. Six months later he was offered a designer’s position in Switzerland, only to have his hopes dashed again, this time by bureaucracy. Brexit and the UK no longer being in Europe meant that he had to have a masters degree or at least three years’ experience.

“I was packing my bags when the news came through and was very disappointed,” he says, “so I thought I would try closer to home and contacted Ronhill again. “They told me they were looking to make footwear again which they hadn’t done since the 1990s. They asked me to lead a research project, which I presented to them. They then invited me to start designing and I now have free rein to direct the way footwear goes.” 

At the same time, Harry has continued his running, coaching himself and his dad, and entering key races across the UK and Europe with increasing success, including in the English and British Championships. In the first season back after the end of the pandemic he found himself at the front of the field, coming second overall in the U23s. That year he also represented England U23s at a race in Italy and the following year won both championships setting a number of local race records.

Harry out in the fells (Image: Ben Holmes)

This year he plans to target key races in the English and British Championships with his training regime currently averaging around 50 miles per week with 4,300m of elevation. But above all he is keeping his philosophy simple. “I want to just focus on enjoying it for as long as I can,” he says.

His running is more important than ever to his job. “I work from home or from wherever I am,” he says. “Last summer I spent two months in the Alps living in a van whilst working and running. It is great to have the freedom when working and without that freedom I would not be able to design as effectively.

“Often I’ll be designing away, doing something, and then I’ll go for a run and that’s when you come up with most of the ideas, especially when I’m in the initial stages.

“While testing a pair of shoes, I’ll be stopping my run constantly, typing notes into my phone, before getting back home and tweaking little bits based on feedback.

Harry competing in the Sierre-Zinal race in Switzerland (Image: Harry Bolton)

“You really have to understand the end use of your designs, such as how placing a panel of fabric in a certain place can affect the flex, performance and durability of the shoe.

“I’ve just designed the first racing and fell training shoes that Ronhill will have produced in decades. It all starts with a brief of key criteria – weight, grip, durability, cushioning and support. Many running shoes are too narrow and can crush your toes, so I have designed in more space to allow the toes to splay.

“The shoe’s outsoles have been created under a close collaboration with Michelin to meet the needs and demands of the UK’s unique off-road running conditions.

The rubber compounds are specially formulated for the demands of the two different end uses.”

His Reverence shoe is designed to prioritise traction in wetter conditions whilst still providing the durability for use on drier or rockier terrains. The Freedom prioritises durability to allow frequent use on drier terrains and road whilst still designed to be grippy enough for use on wet trails.

The upper fabric is produced by French textile manufacturer Matryx, which uses Kevlar to make the shoe more durable. “Most fabrics are coated in a protective layer once the fabric is weaved, whereas Matryx coat the individual yarns before weaving. This makes the fabrics much stronger, but also means that less water is absorbed by the fabric allowing it to maintain its weight and structure,” Harry explains 

Harry's first shoe to go on sale, the Ronhill Reverence (Image: Ronhill)

He also has to consider the cushioning and rebound of a shoe. He says many fell shoes do not offer much cushioning, which can give long distance fell runners the dilemma of whether to choose cushioning or grip. The Ronhill shoes have a dual density EVA midsole; the top layer has softer foam to provide comfort and a cushioned feeling ride, whilst the bottom layer is firmer to provide stability. These layers combine to provide a fast, efficient and propulsive feel, according to Harry.

“Working on Ronhill’s first shoes for years has been so exciting,” he adds. “My dad has been a key tester and won his age category recently wearing one of the prototypes.

“West Cumbrian runner Joseph Dugdale, former World and European Champion in mountain running, recently won the Scafell Pike Race wearing a prototype. The feedback we received from him was great, he was really impressed. I’ve also had great feedback from my bosses.

“People doing well in races wearing them has also been good. It’s a pinch yourself moment when you see someone win a race in the shoe you have designed.” The opportunity to work for Ronhill has been a meteoric start to Harry’s career. “I still can’t really believe what has happened to me as it has happened so quickly,” he says. “It has been so much fun designing and testing the footwear. It feels like I have started at the top. And to think that it all began with my dad’s socks.” • 

The first range of Ronhill footwear designed by Harry Bolton is due to hit shops, including local stockists, this spring