Dr. John Turner Brings Home Silver Medal from the 2022 World Triathlon Championships
John Turner, OD, is a well-known member of both the MOA and AOA, with over 50 years of membership. Turner graduated with a BS in Biology from Stetson University in 1965 and went on to graduate from SCO in 1973. Due to the Vietnam War, he had to enlist in the USAF in December 1965 and was trained as a Medical Lab Tech. He was stationed at MacDill AFB in Tampa, Florida, where he remained until his discharge in 1969.
Dr. Turner’s family has a long history in Mississippi. His grandfather Seneca Socrates Turner was a physician in Hattiesburg, and his father was born in 1908 in the same city. When Turner’s father was 26 years old, he moved to Panama and eventually became the second Treasurer of the Panama Canal. Turner’s mother, who grew up in Hattiesburg and went to high school with his father, decided to marry him and took a boat to Panama. They married in both the USA and Panama to ensure it was legal in both places. John was born in the Panama Canal Zone in 1942, and his wife Lynn, who passed away from Alzheimer’s in July 2020, was also born there.
After graduating from the Southern College of Optometry, he returned to Hattiesburg in 1973 and practiced with Dr. James Herrington. After seven years at Dr. Herrington’s practice, Dr. Turner left and opened his own office. Turner attended a bricklaying course and earned his certificate as a bricklayer while running his practice. Three years later he built himself a new office. He damaged his back while pouring concrete, and was warned he wouldn’t live to see 70 if he didn’t change his lifestyle. He then joined a wellness center and began swimming and biking, which eventually led to national and international events.
Turner has achieved great success as an athlete, competing in triathlons at a very high level. In November 2022 he spent Thanksgiving in Abu Dhabi, where he competed in the World Triathlon Championship Olympic distance. Turner was competing in the 80 – 84 age group and won second place in the world, receiving a silver medal. He was the oldest member of Team USA (which had 224 members in 2022) to run the Olympic distance – the longest race in the Championship. The Olympic distance race consists of a 1500-meter swim, a 40k bike, and a 10k run.
To qualify for Team USA World Championships, athletes must be in the top 18 of their age group at the National Championships, which are held once a year. To qualify for the National Championships, athletes must place in the top 10% of their age group at any USAT-sanctioned race.
Turner has been on Team USA for several World Championships, including Budapest, Hungary, in 2010, where he competed in the 56-69 age group and placed 30th. In Beijing, China, in 2011, he competed in the same age group, which was the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and placed 14th. In 2013, just three months after receiving two stents in his heart, he competed in the 70-74 age group in London, England, and placed 24th. Unfortunately, he had to cancel his participation in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in 2014 due to a pulled muscle. In 2015, he competed in the 70-74 age group in Chicago, Illinois, and placed 20th. He also placed 20th in the qualifying Nationals. In 2019, he competed in the 75-79 age group in Lausanne, Switzerland, but had to withdraw due to the bike course being too steep for his bike gears.
Overall, John Turner, OD, is an impressive athlete who has achieved great success in his athletic career. From his early years as a military medical lab tech to his successful optometric practice, Turner has always been driven to achieve his goals. Despite facing setbacks and challenges along the way, he has never lost his passion for staying active and pushing himself to be the best he can be. His dedication to fitness and athletics has taken him around the world, competing in some of the most challenging events on the planet. But perhaps most importantly, it has given him a sense of purpose and fulfillment that continues to inspire others around him. With his unrelenting spirit and zest for life, he is a shining example of what can be achieved with hard work and dedication.
Kathleen Ellis
Published April 2023
