Don Turner: 1937-2025

England Athletics is saddened to hear that athletics stalwart Don Turner died on Sunday 9 March.

Don was a member of Epsom and Ewell Harriers for 70 years. As an athlete, then an official, he dedicated most of his life to athletics in Surrey, the south east and beyond. He was presented with an England Athletics Services to Athletics volunteer award in 2023.

Don was an international standard distance runner. He ran 65 marathons in his career, but his real talent was in longer races. He broke the World Record for a 6-hour track run in appalling conditions on the cinders at Stompond Lane. He twice won the race around the Isle of Man TT course, and in the 1962 Comrades Marathon in South Africa (54 miles and 4,000ft of ascent), he was part of a team of three Surrey runners who finished in the first four places. Altogether he ran 135 races at distances longer than 26.2 miles.

When he stopped running, Don threw himself into athletics officiating and administration. He has been president, secretary, treasurer and race organizer, of the Harriers, of Surrey Athletics, of the South of England AA, of South of the Thames Cross Country Association and many more.

As an official his first love was timekeeping and he became one of the leading timekeepers in the South of England; Surrey timekeepers talk of Don as their inspiration and mentor. In 1981 he worked with Chris Brasher and John Disley to organise the first London marathon. He played a key role in organising the finish and the timekeeping at that first London Marathon. He was also an early master of photofinish. In the era of clockwork stopwatches and wet film processing he was one of the first to get to grips with operating photofinish. In the heyday of international competitions at Crystal Palace, Don Turner would be in the photofinish booth. In 1991 he was invited by Seiko to work for them at the Barcelona Olympics test event.   

Don would be welcomed as an official at the highest level of athletics competitions. But probably his most endearing feature was that he was just as happy to work at the grass roots of the sport; he was ever present at local young athletes' meeting and mid-week fixtures. For example, in May 2024 he was Chief Timekeeper at the Night of 10,000m PBs at Highgate, a prestigious event with international athletes. It goes on late until the evening and it was well after midnight before Don, by now 86 years old,
got home to Stoneleigh. But at 10.30 the following morning he was at the Ewell Track ready to time the young athletes in the Ebbisham League.

Athletics at his home club in Surrey and in the South East, and officials across the country will miss Don Turner. As an official, but more importantly as a friend, he will be a great loss.

With thanks to David Clarke CBE who wrote this obituary.