Tribute paid to Whitby athlete John Hunter who died after battle with Motor Neurone Disease

Whitby through and through, John was a renowned runner from a very young age.

Born in 1961, John began his working life at Botham’s of Whitby on Skinner Street, before later moving to the former Scarborough Borough Council where he worked as a caretaker at Runswick Bay.

In the late 1980s, John began running competitively for the first time as he joined Whitby's Esk Harriers before making the switch to the newly-formed Loftus Athletic Club where he thrived.

Alongside friend Mick Anderson, John was coached at Loftus by Pete Clifford, and his success there saw him given the opportunity to train with international athletes Mark and Ian Hudspith, under the guidance of Jim Adler at Morpeth Harriers.

John would go on to dominate the North East running scene in the early 1990s as he was part of a select group that included Olympic medalist Mike McLeod and Great Britain international, Brian Rushworth.

John was an exceptional athlete whose enthusiasm for the sport was infectious and he inspired many local runners to achieve their goals, including England international Steve Hepples who became a close friend of John's.

John would often race from the front, building up such a lead in the early stages of a race, that his rivals would never be able to make up the lost ground.

This courageous style of racing would prompt headlines in the local and national press such as Hunter cruises to 10k win and Hunter proves his point in fine style.

John's career highlights include a sub-30 minute 10k at Wiggington, a sub 50-minute 10 mile run at York, and just 65 minutes and 45 seconds to complete a half marathon in Malta.

Such where his impressive statistics, John was propelled to the top of the UK Marathon rankings in 1996.

In August 2022, John was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), a diagnosis which would change the course of his life.

Not that John would let this interfere with his sense of humour which he never lost throughout the course of his battle with MND.

His battle with the disease came to an end on October 3 as John passed away peacefully at home while surrounded by his family and friends.

John was loved and admired by many people throughout both his distinguished running career and life in general.

The love for John was that strong that many rallied to raise money for research projects into the disease through raffles, sponsored bike rides and sponsored runs.

John's funeral was held on October 18 as the friends, family, and the local running community came together to pay their respects to the remarkable runner.

John’s friend Harry Schofield, of Hinderwell, has completed his seven challenges in seven months to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease care home at James Cook Hospital and the MND Association.

The penultimate challenge was the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge took on an extra poignancy as it was the first challenge since John died.