Hugh Murray with Mike
Some of Mike’s friends have been asked to talk of their relationship (coach, administrator, athlete) to Mike and on this page we have comments from fellow coaches who have worked with him in various venues and events around the world as well as here in Scotland. We hear from Hugh Murray and Leslie Roy. On the next page we hear about Mike as a club member with Cambuslang Harriers from Dave Cooney and from several of his athletes.
Hugh Murray says:
The first time I remember meeting Mike Johnston was at a Scottish Athletics Awards Ceremony in 2000.
He was nominated for a Coaching Award and I was presenting one and we were sat at the same table.
Little did I know at that time we would become colleagues and very good friends which we still are.
He was coaching at that time with Cambuslang Harriers although he was helping other athletes and coaches from other clubs.
At about that time Scottish Athletics had just received funding to appoint full time paid coaches/Performance Managers to work with and assist our lottery funded athletes and coaches.
Mike, Eamon Fitzgerald and myself were employed to cover Endurance, Jumps and Throws.
This led to many happy and fruitful years of not only supporting our best but developing our events and future stars.
Mike was a natural for this and fought tooth and nail to get his developing coaches the appropriate development opportunities and the developing athletes the appropriate competitions.
No easy task.
He was and still is a great team coach having already team coached at four Commonwealth Games and many other International events.
There is no doubt in my mind that the current strength and success at international and World Class level of Scottish Endurance athletes is in some part due to the hard work and support given to that event by Mike Johnston.
A modest man Mike continues to coach with and support athletes at club level.
Commonwealth Games Team Staff with Mike third from left and Leslie in the middle.
Leslie Roy has known and worked with Mike for several years now and, like Hugh, has a high opinion of him, the result of co-operation in a variety of roles. She says:
