Richard Spencer Wilde (13 October 1945 – 24 September 2019) was a British male

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

. He was a world indoor record holder and a gold medallist at the

European Athletics Indoor Championships The European Athletics Indoor Championships is a biennial indoor track and field competition for European athletes that is organised by the European Athletic Association. It was held for the first time in 1970, replacing the European Indoor Games, ...

in 1970. He won the 4-mile

Nos Galan Calennig is a Welsh word meaning "''New Year celebration/gift''", although it literally translates to "the first day of the month", deriving from the Latin word kalends. The English word "Calendar" also has its root in this word. It is a traditio ...

in 1967, was the North of England champion over 3 miles in 1968, then became British Universities champion in the

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

in 1969. He began to establish himself nationally shortly after. He was runner-up to

Ian McCafferty Ian John McCafferty (born 24 November 1944) is a Scottish former long-distance runner. He won the silver medal at the 1970 Commonwealth Games 5000 metres when he recorded a time of 13:23.34. This was one of the greatest races of all ti ...

over

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...

at the

AAA Indoor Championships The AAA Indoor Championships was an annual indoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost indoor domestic athletics event during its lifetime. The event was first held in 1935, fol ...

in 1968 and 1969 before finally succeeding his rival in 1970. He also took third in the 5000 m behind Ian Stewart and Alan Blinston at the 1969

AAA Championships The AAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime, despite the existence of the officia ...

. Wilde's greatest achievement was a world indoor best of 7:46.85 to win the 3000m gold medal at the 1970 European Athletics Indoor Championships. This stood as the championship record until 1973, when it was bettered by

Emiel Puttemans Emiel Adrien "Miel" Puttemans (born 8 October 1947) is a retired middle- and long-distance runner, who set world records for 3000 metres (7 minutes 37.6 seconds) in 1972, for 2 miles (8 minutes 17.8 seconds) in 1971, and for 5000 metres (13 ...

of Belgium. That same year he placed sixth at the

1970 International Cross Country Championships The 1970 International Cross Country Championships was held in Vichy, France, on March 22, 1970. An alternate women's championship was held one day earlier in Frederick, Maryland, Frederick, Maryland, United States at the VFW Country Club, on Marc ...

and shared in the team title alongside individual medallists

Mike Tagg Michael John Tagg (born 13 November 1946) is a British former long-distance runner. He finished second in the 10,000 metres at the 1969 European Championships. Tagg was born in East Ruston, Norfolk. He competed in the 10,000 metres at the 19 ...

and

Trevor Wright Trevor Christopher Wright is a former American actor. Early life Wright was raised in La Jolla, California. Career His breakthrough acting lead role was in the 2007 film ''Shelter'' as Zach. His recurring role as Zack Powers on ''George Lope ...

. He made one more major international appearance, coming 61st at the

1973 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 1973 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Waregem, Belgium, at the Hippodroom Waregem on March 17, 1973. A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald. Complete results for men, junior men, women, medallists, ...

. He entered the 1972 Maxol Marathon in Manchester but his finish in 2:23:04 hours was only worth 36th place. He had better long-distance performances in his later career, taking the 10-mile

Snowdon Race The Snowdon Race ( cy, Ras Yr Wyddfa) is a ten-mile endurance running competition in Gwynedd, from Llanberis to the peak of Snowdon. Contestants must make the five miles up the Llanberis Path to the summit ( above sea level) and return down. Cur ...

in 1977 and 1978 before being beaten into second place by Jeff Norman in 1979. His best

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

outing was at the 1979

Grandma's Marathon Grandma's Marathon is an annual road race held each June in Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States. The course runs point-to-point from the city of Two Harbors on Scenic Route 61 and continues along Lake Superior into the city of Duluth. The ...

, which he won in a time of 2:14:44 hours. He was an accomplished

fell runner Fell running, also sometimes known as hill running, is the sport of running and racing, off-road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty. The name arises from the origins of the English sport o ...

, setting a long-lasting course record for the

Lantern Pike Lantern Pike is a hill located just outside Hayfield, in Derbyshire, England. The land lies within the Peak District National Park and is owned and maintained by the National Trust. It is permanently open to the public. According to Ordnance Sur ...

fell race in addition to wins at the

Fairfield horseshoe Fairfield Horseshoe is a classic circular hillwalking ridge walk route starting from Rydal or Ambleside in the English Lake District that takes in all the fells that surround the valley of the Rydal Beck. The round The walk is extremely popular ...

and

Darwen Darwen is a market town and civil parish in the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The residents of the town are known as "Darreners". The A666 road passes through Darwen towards Blackburn to the north, Bolton to the sout ...

moors races. Other notable performances were a win at the 1978 Paavo Nurmi Marathon and runner-up finishes at the Juan Muguerza Memorial and

Campaccio The Campaccio is an annual cross country running competition which takes place in early January in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy. Organised by the ''Unione Sportiva Sangiorgese'' (Sangiorgese Sports Association), the event attracts participation fr ...

cross country races. He was a member of Manchester Harriers and Athletics Club during his career.Manchester Harriers: Richard Wilde – Remembered.
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International competitions

National titles

**3000 m: 1970

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilde, Ricky 1945 births 2019 deaths English male marathon runners British male cross country runners English male cross country runners British fell runners World record setters in athletics (track and field)