A Tribute to John Crellin
Terrible news for the fell running community is the death of John Crellin who lost his life in the Senior TT on Friday. John was a keen and well known member of the Manx sports community particularly fell running and it was obvious to all that he loved to race and train over the manx fells.
A few words about John from Richie Stevenson below
A few years ago I was on a Sunday morning training run with John and we got talking about the dangers in motorcycle racing. ” Why,” I said, “do you carry on racing when you have lost so many fellow competitors and you have been so close to death on more than one occasion yourself”. His reply was quite simple. “The immense pleasure I get from road racing, especially on the TT Course, is worth all the risks”. Senior Race Day Friday 12th June 2009 at the Mountain Box John paid the ultimate price for his pleasure in a high speed crash that cost him his life and the Isle of Man lost a great sportsman.
I knew John for a long time, we go back over 40 years and were in the same year at St Ninians High School . In the late 80`s he took up fell running a
nd quickly showed he had a talent for this sport as well. Descending was his specialist, no doubt his seeming total lack of fear enabled him to take risks most of us would hold back from. I can remember in a Carraghan race some time ago on the old course where you had to go over a fence near the finish. I was ahead of John( we have always enjoyed some great battles) and I thought a quick hop over the fence and there is no way he will catch me. Next thing John flew past me and the fence totally air borne feet first. He landed with a thud jumped up and scampered over the finish line ahead of me. Incredible!
Unfortunately we will never see John in action again on the fells. His passing will leave a huge gap in our sport as he was extremely popular with competitors and officials alike.
I feel proud to have been a friend of John, a quiet, laid back and gentle person who had a fierce competitive instinct. He was a proper sportsman, adventurer and gentleman and we will miss him greatly.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.
Filed under: MFR News
Another good man gone.
Characters like John are few and far between these days.
A real Manx gentleman in the true sense of what that is.
His family should feel pride at the manner in which he lived his life.
I am sure he leaves those who knew him with many good (and often funny) memories.
Our sympathy to his family.
I’m very sorry to post such an inadequate comment at such a sad time. I’m an Italian sports journalist currently working at Crellin’s obituary, and I would like to know his birth date and place.
Sorry once again, and my deepest condolences…
How sad, John rode for me here in the mainland in the early seventies on my jointly owned Kawasaki tripple with Peter Carrana. WE are both saddened at this news as he was one of lifes great characters, both intelligent and crazy, in fact bordering on being gifted in many ways.
Our condollances to Johns family from all over here in England who enjoyed his company.
Graham Veryard