Charity Tuesday - Gus

Gus Mckechnie is a T38 classified runner (Runners with Cerebral Palsy) and is taking on the ABP Southampton Half Marathon as part of the build up to the London Marathon later in April. He is raising money for Weldmar Hospice care in Dorset who looked after his mother when she had ovarian cancer.

In 2018 he was dead last in the Southampton Marathon finishing in 8 Hours 24 minutes. Last year in 2022 he finished in five hours 59 minutes. The 2022 result was enough to place him as 5^th in the all time rankings over the Marathon distance for T38 runners in the UK.  

“The 2022 event was amazing, the support from the Southampton community and my running club the Hamwic Harriers helped get me through the finish line in under six hours” Gus has also been receiving support from a Solent University sport science student. Regular running with the Hamwic Harriers and that Sport Science support has made a hug difference. Over the past year Gus has collected personal bests over Marathon, Half Marathon, 10 mile, 10km and 5km distances. Gus has also achieved 16 pb course and overall records at different Parkruns.

“I’m at a completely different place to where I was in 2018 both Physically and Mentally” Gus has lost over two stone in the past year. “I have finally been able to put into perspective the shock of my mother’s heart attack caused by her ovarian cancer” That perspective has given Gus more confidence in his body and even more determination to complete the Eastleigh 10km, Southampton Half marathon and London Marathon for Weldmar hospice.  

In 2020, 2021 and 2022 Gus completed the virtual London Marathon by running laps of St Marys stadium, to complete a full marathon he had to complete over 60 laps of the stadium. In 2022 he finished the laps in 5 hours . “I’m delighted the date changed so I could take part in the ABP Southampton Marathon”. Gus can be sponsored via the following donation page link:

www.justgiving.com/gusbusrolls

“To anyone who is still thinking of signing up to one of the ABP Southampton Marathon distances, I strongly recommend you do it” “You will be supported all the way”.

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