Athlete

Born July 12th 1949

Died February 4th, 2018

Robin Morris who has died aged 68 was a well known Scottish athlete, sports historian and reporter, golf lover and Edinburgh community activist.

A noted distance runner, his best track event was the steeplechase at which he was runner up three times in the East District Championships in the ‘70’s. Over the hills, he won the inaugural Scottish Hill Running Championship in 1983. Although in many ways sport defined his life, he was involved in a wide range of other activities, including his local community council, the church, the English Speaking Union, the Eric Liddell Centre, and The Friends of The Meadows group.

Thanks to his encyclopaedic sports knowledge, he was a member of the selection panel for the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame. He also held administrative positions with Scottish Hill Runners and U.K. Athletics Mountain Running. At the core of his contribution to all these activities was wholeheartedness, infectious enthusiasm and genuine interest in others.

Early rugby injuries pointed him away from that sport in the direction of the running track where at school he showed promise as a miler. Thereafter he competed with distinction for Octavians Athletic Club at several distance events in the Scottish League and in 1969 was a member of their team which won the prestigious Land O’ Burns Trophy in Ayr.

When Octavians disbanded, he joined Edinburgh Athletic Club whom he represented for many years in national league fixtures. While wearing their colours in a British League match at Crystal Palace in 1975, he recorded his personal best for the steeplechase.

During the winter, he represented the club at cross country, contributing to several team successes. Over time, hill running became his principal interest as one of the first members of Carnethy Hill Running Club. In all he competed in their race in the Pentland Hills 22 times, the last occasion as recently as 2015. Over ten consecutive years between the mid ‘70’s and ‘80’s, he finished in the top ten each time in large fields of runners, with two third places his best finishes.

Elsewhere he won the North Berwick Law race seven times and also enjoyed wins at Newtonmore’s Creag Dubh, at Dollar and elsewhere. His favourite was the scenic Glamaig race in Skye up and down the 2,500 feet eponymous mountain near Sligachan, which he with others was instrumental in establishing in 1988.

Another sporting passion was golf which he played enthusiastically at the Royal Burgess and Dunbar courses in particular. He enjoyed hickory clubs golf, when he took to the links in plus fours and cap. A member of the British Golf Collectors’ Society, he also archived memorabilia at the historic Burgess Club. He was pleased to be able to continue playing until recently.

Born to Austin and Molly, he was a twin of David, and younger brother of Jennifer and John, who died in 2016. Brought up initially in Colinton, he attended George Watson’s College. His father was a partner in Brodies, solicitors, but died when Robin was nine.

Family holidays were often spent in Gullane and after his siblings left home, Robin and his mother moved to a flat overlooking the Meadows where its short hole golf course encouraged him to play. After schooldays he went into banking, initially for the British Linen Bank in Leith till they were taken over by the Bank of Scotland where he worked in head office. Later he joined Credit Lyonnais but when a transfer to London was mooted, he decided because of family circumstances to accept redundancy.

Thereafter he was a sports reporter covering a range of sports. In 1979 he married Rosalind Boyes whom he had met socially in Edinburgh and they enjoyed thirty eight years of happy marriage during which they had two daughters, Wendy, a doctor and Suzanne, a teacher.

Robin was a founder member of the Eric Liddell Centre and appointed a trustee in 2012. He joined held various roles on Merchiston Community Council and following in the footsteps of his parents – founding members of the English Speaking Union in Edinburgh – Robin became a national committee member and branch treasurer. He was also treasurer of the Friends of The Meadows and Bruntsfield Links. A regular churchgoer, in 1985 he became a member of vestry in Christ Church, at Holy Corner.

Eric Liddell was his sporting hero and it was entirely fitting that at the end of his hugely attended celebration of life service in his church that Vangelis’ music from ‘Chariots of Fire’ was played. He is survived by his family.

Jack Davidson