[1] Initially as a runner he was encouraged to race the quarter-mile but soon drifted towards longer distances and was supported by Peter Duffy and Alastair Wood, both established endurance athletes.
[5] In October 1978, Ritchie covered 100 km on the Crystal Palace track in 6:10:20, an average pace of under six minutes per mile.
It was eventually broken a few days after his death when Nao Kazami ran 6:09:14 in the 2018 edition of the Lake Saroma 100 km road race.
[7] Ritchie also set a world road record for 100 miles in 1979 with a time of 11:51:11 in a race at Flushing Meadows,[8] and ten years later, he set the fastest time for running from John O' Groats to Land's End, completing the route in 10 days, 15 hours and 27 minutes.
[11] Although his running style was better suited to the track and road than the trails, he did record a victory on the latter surface in the 95 mile West Highland Way Race in 1991.