A Dorchester born man with cerebral palsy is polishing off his running shoes to raise money for a Dorset charity.

Gus McKechnie is going to push his body and mind to the limits as he takes on the 26.2 mile ABP Southampton Marathon on Sunday, April 22, an event he plans to do with the aid of hiking sticks.

The 42-year-old also suffers from Hemiparesis, a condition which leaves a weakness of one entire side of the body.

Gus, currently living in Southampton, hopes that by taking part, he can show others the benefits of a positive mental attitude by completing the challenge.

Gus said: “It can be easy to listen to the negative part of your brain that makes you think ‘I couldn’t possibly do that’ or ‘I’m not strong enough’.

“I want to show people that they can achieve so much more than they give themselves credit for.”

Gus’ condition means he has less function on the left hand side of his body.

Though he is able to go about his day to day life without crutches or a wheelchair for most of the time, if he pushes himself too hard he can need some assistance.

Because of this, intense training could cause a problem to Gus if not done properly and safely.

Gus has been incorporating his training into his everyday life, making sure to do around five kilometres per day and hitting the gym to work on his upper body strength.

Gus, who works at Ordnance Survey, is one of the company’s ‘GetOutside champions’’.

He said: “I’ll be relying on my upper body to keep me balanced when I start getting tired so it’s important for me to work on that as well as the walking.”

Gus will be taking part in the event to raise funds for Weldmar Hospice in Dorset, after the charity provided support for his mum when she had ovarian cancer.

This will be his second participation in the marathon, after taking part in the half marathon last year in a specially adapted sports wheelchair.

Gus hopes to complete the full marathon in five and a half hours, 30 minutes under the official cut-off time for participants.

Naomi Dennett, running and challenges fundraiser for Weldmar Hospicecare, said: “Everyone at Weldmar would like to thank Gus for his continuing support.

“Gus has been fundraising for Weldmar now for many years and has taken part in lots of our events in this time.

To sponsor Gus, visit justgiving.com/gusrolls