John Dowling was one of our greatest long-distance walkers and was admired and respected in continental Europe for his regular appearances and strong performances at a host of events, as well as for his unfailingly courteous manner.  He was regularly highly placed at events - from Mons in Belgium, through Roubaix and Rouen in France, to Vallorbe in Switzerland, and with better support he could have completed the classic Paris-Strasbourg/Colmar. As he arrived at the start of an event with his bag of food and clothes, his motto was that ‘The Lord would provide.’ Generally He did and a supporter would materialise. But occasionally The Lord missed him or John had other priorities. When he was in a 1,000 mile challenge against a running friend Malcolm Campbell, John’s devotion led him to be delayed by a long church sermon. When he was attempting another walk from one end of Ireland to the other and was seen leaning over a bridge, he responded that, no, he was not ill, just admiring the shining trout. During a 1,000 mile challenge in New York, he would sometimes sit on his camp bed playing his flute while the rest of us were going round the circuit. 
 
He introduced so many of us to the world of continental races and through his calm, smiling yet tenacious approach, he inspired a generation of long-distance walkers to dig deep while also seeking to gain an inner strength from the experience. We owe him a great debt and he will forever be in our minds and heart.
 
Richard & Sandra Brown
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