Hi i'm defying my cerebral palsy and past to take on 40 challenges this year. These include the already completed tough mudder.
World Record Rower to take part in first
ever Unlimited Great South Wheelchair Event
· Gus
McKechnie, 42, suffers from Hemiparesis – a type of Cerebral Palsy
· Had
the ambition to do 40 new challenges at 40
· Has
set two world records on the rowing machine and completed 11 marathons
· Gus
is one of seven people selected to take part in the first Unlimited Great South
Wheelchair Event on 21st October.
· Looking
forward to being part of the “iconic” South Coast event having grown up there
as a child
· Will
train with Paralympic coach Rick Hoskins in preparation
· Hopes
to encourage more disabled people to get involved in sport and stay healthy
Gus McKechnie, 42, from Southampton, is one of only
seven people selected to take part in the first ever Unlimited Great South
Wheelchair Event on Saturday 21st October. Launched by The Unlimited Company from
Simplyhealth and The Great Run Company, the one-mile event takes place in
Portsmouth the day before the Simplyhealth Great South Run.
The event follows the successful launch of The
Unlimited Great North Wheelchair Event, which took place on the same weekend as
this year’s Simplyhealth Great North Run, and aims to encourage mass
participation in disability sports.
Gus, who works in Customer Service at Ordnance
Survey, was born with Cerebral Palsy, but his competitive spirit has enabled
him to battle back against his disability.
Having completed a staggering 11 marathons, set two
world records, and trekked round Mont Blanc – Gus is no stranger to the big
stage, and it will be familiar territory for the experienced racer when he
lines up on the start line of The Unlimited Great South Wheelchair Event.
He’ll be trained in preparation by Paralympic coach
Rick Hoskins. For Gus this event will have a nostalgic element and he is hoping
to inspire both able bodied and disabled people to become more active.
“I’m really excited because the Simplyhealth Great South
Run is an iconic South coast event. I’ve grown up on the South coast where I
used to live with my mum in Dorchester during the week and Hayling Island /
Portsmouth on the weekends.
“I really want to raise the awareness of disability
athletics and getting outside. I’m also very lucky to be a Get Outside champion
for Ordnance Survey and I hope this encourages more people to be active.”
Gus is backing The Unlimited Company and
Simplyhealth’s vision to one day make wheelchair racing a mass participation
event, and is hoping there will be a shift in public perception of wheelchair
sports with the help of more events like this.
“It is really important to have more people
involved in sport and staying healthy. I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in
sports and be a disability world record holder. Attitudes need to change; not
just opportunities being created.”
Weldmar helped care for Mum at home when she had Ovarian cancer.
I wanted to put a big effort in memory of Mum this year, we both got off to a shaky start when I was born with cerebral palsy. She saved me again when she saw the signs of abuse I had been suffering in a school outside of Wimborne and with the help of Dr Johnston at DCH .
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
