John Charles Foster (23 May 1932 – 5 June 2004) was a long-distance runner born in Liverpool, England.

At first a cyclist, who didn't start running until he was 32,[1] he represented New Zealand in the men's marathon at two Summer Olympics at Munich, West Germany (1972) and Montreal, Canada (1976).

[1] A resident of Rotorua, he won the silver medal in the marathon at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch with a master's world record time of 2:11:18.6 at the age of 41.

[2] Foster is featured in the New Zealand short film "On the Run" about Arthur Lydiard influenced athletes.

In the final scene, Foster shows the highlight of his training is a 3,000 foot run down a 45 degree scree hill.