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Athletics: Leeds City stalwart John Lunn dies
Leeds City Athletic Club are mourning the death of John Lunn, who died in his sleep aged 68 on Monday night.
Most athletics personnel can be pigeonholed as coach, secretary, track judge etc, but Lunn filled almost every key role in the club.
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With no disrespect to those who followed, he was the best team manager of the Leeds City men's league teams.
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Athletes would compete out of loyalty to Lunn as much as to the club. He, in turn, looked after the welfare of the athletes, never pressurising them to compete when it was not in their best interest.
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As the club's archivist, historian and newsletter writer he produced in-depth ranking lists for all events and age groups which are probably unrivalled by any other club website in the country.
As an organiser, Lunn was outstanding, his latest success being the National Cross Country Championship in Roundhay Park in February.
His booming voice, outlandish dress sense, mode of greeting (bear hug and a kiss) will be missed at athletic venues and not just in Yorkshire.
All of this came after a long and successful career as a middle distance runner. As a boy, Lunn was a member of Leeds AC, a club that merged with Harehills Harriers and Leeds St Marks to form the present Leeds City AC in 1967.
Whilst still at Leeds Modern School he won the Yorkshire Youths Cross Country title and repeated the feat a year later.
From Leeds Modern Lunn won a place at Exeter College, Oxford, in 1960 and at Oxford was awarded his Blue on the track (three miles) and at cross country.
Whilst he had successes on the track, he was better as a cross country and road runner and was a member of numerous Leeds City medal-winning teams as well as running for Yorkshire.
His best performance on the road was a marathon run in a time of two hours 19.48 minutes at Huddersfield in 1970.
After Oxford, Lunn worked briefly for British Nylon but then settled for a career in teaching. He first taught in Darlington and returning to Leeds taught at Matthew Murray and later at West Leeds High School.
Although not a prolific veteran competitor, Lunn continued to run until a heart problem was diagnosed. Since then he took up hammer throwing with enthusiasm, scoring many a useful point in Northern League fixtures.
He invariably supported the current Leeds City teams and took great pleasure in seeing them rise to become the top British club in men's road and cross country running.
Lunn leaves a widow, Dorothy, herself a stalwart athletics official, and son, Matthew.
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Weather for Leeds
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
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