Jason Dunkerley retires from competitive running
One of the most gifted and decorated athletes in Canadian history, visually impaired runner Jason Dunkerley also donated a kidney to his wife Colleen in 2013
Five-time Paralympian Jason Dunkerley has stepped down from running track as part of the national team after nearly 20 years in high performance sport. Watch some of the highlights of his Paralympic career and learn some new facts about this incredible athlete. @AthleticsCanada pic.twitter.com/jjY1vhK0Ak
— Canadian Paralympic Committee (@CDNParalympics) August 31, 2018
Jason Dunkerley, 41, who won medals for Canada at five Paralympics, has decided to retire his spikes after almost 20 years as a competitive runner. In addition to a long list of accolades on the track at the Paralympics, World Championships and Parapan American Games, Dunkerley finished third in the visually-impaired division at this year’s Boston Marathon in shockingly cold, wet conditions, guided by Toronto coach Rejean Chiasson.
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Born in Ireland in 1977, Dunkerley emigrated from Northern Ireland to Hamilton, Ont. with his family in 1991, moving to Ottawa in 2002. He and his two brothers all have a congenital eye condition known as Leber’s Amaurosis, which rendered them blind from birth.
Dunkerley has a degree in international development from the University of Guelph, where he trained under Dave Scott-Thomas of Speed River Track Club fame. He qualified for his first national team in 1998.
Dunkerley raced with his guide Greg Dailey in four Paralympic Games, winning silver in the T11 1,500m in Sydney in 2000, another silver in the same event in Athens in 2004, bronze in Beijing in 2008, and bronze in the 1,500m and silver in the 5,000m in 2012 in London. He and his guide, Josh Karanja, finished fifth in the 1,500m at Rio in 2016. He also competed in four world championships (medalling in all of them), and three Parapan American Games (again, medalling in all three).
In 2013 Dunkerley underwent major surgery to donate a kidney to his wife, Colleen Hayes, who has diabetes, which left her also visually impaired and eventually caused her kidneys to fail. Considering the recovery necessary, Dunkerlely’s 2016 performance in Rio is incredible.
Dunkerley to join coaching ranks https://t.co/VQCX3xnbuh pic.twitter.com/GlxoBBiqKU
— Ottawa Lions TFC (@OttawaLionsTFC) September 2, 2018
Dunkerley will now take on a coaching role, along with Karanja, with the Ottawa Lyons Track Club.
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