Dr. Jack Taunton, an Order of Canada recipient and co-founder of what is now the BMO Vancouver Marathon, has died at 77.
Taunton is described by the University of British Columbia — his alma mater and former employer — as a “giant” in Canadian sports medicine.
Despite facing serious health complications as a child, the university says, he went on to become a nationally ranked marathon runner. He organized local races that would one day become the BMO Vancouver Marathon and the Vancouver Sun Run, the university said.
According to the Vancouver International Marathon Society, Taunton helped organize the city’s first run in 1972, which about 30 people took part in. In 2023, thousands participated in both the marathon and half marathon.
“Dr. Jack Taunton’s legacy is woven into the very fabric of Vancouver’s running community,” the organization said in a post on X.
While competing in races, Taunton was also working toward his medical degree.
He graduated in 1976 and was one of the top students in his class, UBC said.
According to SportMedBC, he co-founded the Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Centre in 1979, where he was the director for 25 years. During that time, he worked with UBC athletes in need of sports medicine support.
“Over the past four decades, innumerable UBC students, athletes and coaches have benefited from his expertise,” the UBC Thunderbirds said in a media release.
Robin D’Abreo, Olympic athlete and director of athletics for UBC, said Taunton always had a positive and encouraging attitude.
“There was never an injury that you couldn’t come back from or a timeline that was too tight to get you back on the field of play,” D’Abreo said. “It was obvious that’s how he lived his life and it’s how he inspired everyone around him.”
Taunton was chief medical officer for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver. He was also team physician for the NBA’s Vancouver Grizzlies, according to SportMedBC.
In 2024, he was awarded the Order of Canada, celebrating his contributions to sports medicine.