After an outstanding career on the track that included being a thirteen-time member of Canada’s national team and competing in the 1978 Commonwealth Games, 1979 Pan Am Games, 1980 Olympic Games (team member for boycotted Games) and 1981 World Cup, holding the title of national champion six times, and being a former Canadian record holder – John decided to give back to the sport he loved and that gave him so much.

John was a valuable member of the Athletics Ontario staff from 1983 – 2015, holding the roles of Road and Recreation Director; Director of Marketing & Administration; Editor and Contributing Writer for Athletics magazine; and finishing with the role of Executive Director.

During his time at AO, John was part of the leadership team that delivered initiatives to elevate the sport, including the Ontario High Performance Sport Initiative; Quest for Gold Athlete Assistance Program; Fun in Athletics to support active kids – including the Agility Challenge for indigenous communities; the AO Hall of Fame and Athletes of the Year awards/banquet; the Road Warriors program to encourage adults to train; and the integration of Para Athletics in mainstreaming programming.

John also was part of the team that hosted the Toronto International Track and Field Games, and the Adopt-an-Athlete program, and was the Race Director for the Toronto Marathon.

John continued to give back to the sport and community including as a Director of Sport 4 Ontario – an advocacy group and the voice of sport in the province, and International Fun and Team Athletics. John was also Race Director of the World Veterans Road Race Championships; a member of the Running Network; and an accredited writer for the 2012 Olympics Games in London, and the World Championships in 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2009.

The highlight of John’s involvement with the sport was as CEO of the World Masters Championships that were to be held in Toronto in 2020, but which, after four intense years of work and planning, were unfortunately cancelled due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.