Raised in the Cook Islands and a graduate of Tereora College, Hunter who clocked a time of 2:03:16.0 at the 49th Round Raro event on September 19, 2026 says he would be interested in representing the Cook Islands in half or full marathons.

Hunter left for Australia at 18, where he now works as a hairdresser and maintains a passion for distance running.

He says he got into running around six years ago. Growing up, he was always into sports and his mum Serena Hunter – Cook Islands sporting legend – got him and his brother participating in triathlon.

It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that he turned to long-distance running as a way to keep active and support his mental health.

He later participated in a marathon event in Australia: “It was a hard run, but I actually really enjoyed it. And I was like… maybe this long distance stuff is for me.”
He said he took part in a few half marathons and often wondered when his big run would be.

This is when Athletics Cook Islands contacted him to participate in Round Raro event.

He never expected to win, “I was expecting someone else to be way out in front,” he admits, still a little surprised at his own triumph.

However, as he crossed the finish line and saw the support from friends, and family, it became clear that this was more than just another run, his marathon career to represent his home country has begun.

“This was my first one. I was not expecting to come first. But, I’m very happy.”

 Preparation

In terms of preparing for the 31km run around Rarotonga, Hunter told Cook Islands News he did not really train or have a strict training schedule but he would just go for runs every day.

“I just like to run. I’ll just go for runs every day… I feel good, it clears my mind. It’s sort of my routine. I would get up, have my coffee, do my run in the morning. Then I’ll go to the gym, then I’ll go to work. And that’s like my weekly schedule.”

Upon arriving in Rarotonga for the race, he said he did not go out for a run around the island as he had lived here and knew what to expect.

He says that on the day of the event he was nervous and anxious, but also excited.

“A lot of emotions going through, but once we took off; I just got my AirPods in, music playing and just like got in the zone. And I was like, I’m not going to push myself too hard. I’m going to run it as best as I can.

“I didn’t want to like take too much out of myself and not put too much pressure on myself.”

Hunter said he kept a consistent pace until he reached the finish line and saw his family cheering for him.

“It was really cool just even seeing like my cousins and my friends following me like at different spots. Then my parents came and saw me. I don’t think they were expecting me to be at the front. I saw a bit of a shock on their faces,” he said.

Even more meaningful was sharing the event with his 74-year-old grandmother Lynnsay Francis, who completed the 31km walk. “We drove up together, had our little pre-race chat… I was there to watch her finish.”

Mum, Serena says they are proud of his achievement and didn’t expect him to be in the lead.

“To be honest, when we drove around to meet him we heard the drums and then we saw him rounding the corner, and we were like Jayden!

“It was pretty special following him and hearing the local support, and for him coming back and doing this on home ground I know was very special.”

She added that they are excited for his journey ahead in representing the Cook Islands.

“He’s pretty much been running on the fly and for the love of it, so will be great to see what he might achieve with coaching help and a structured training programme.

“He has a passion for running and to be able to represent the Cooks while doing something he loves will be a win win, we’re very excited for him.”

Athletics Cook Islands Simone Fe’ao says one of the real highlights at the race this year was the performance of overall winner Jayden Hunter.

“Jayden is a young Cook Islander who has grown up here in Rarotonga, and his winning performance was the fastest time by a Cook Islands runner in the Round Raro since 1983. That was a significant achievement and particularly exciting for us to see from a local athlete.

“We certainly see potential for Jayden to represent the Cook Islands in long-distance running in the future. We are working with him to look at what that pathway could be and what opportunities may be available to develop and compete internationally.”

She said that at this stage it is less about targeting a particular event and more about supporting his development and seeing where his ability can take him.