A Dorchester record-breaker has been selected to take part in a new ‘iconic’ south coast event.

Gus McKechnie, 42, who now lives in Southampton, is one of just seven people selected to take part in the first ever Unlimited Great South Wheelchair Event on Saturday, October 21.

Taking place the day before the Great South Run, the event aims to encourage mass participation in disability sports and will see the chosen seven, of varying disabilities, cover a one-mile distance.

Gus said: “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 and Portsmouth on the weekends.”

Gus, who works in customer service at Ordnance Survey, was born with Hemiparesis – a type of Cerebral Palsy, but his competitive spirit has enabled him to battle back against his disability.

Having completed 11 marathons, set two world records on a rowing machine, 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.

Along with his competitors, Gus will be trained in preparation by Paralympic coach Rick Hoskins and is also being coached by Paul Smith from Portsmouth athletics club.

Gus hopes his sporting success will inspire both able bodied and disabled people to become more active.

He said: “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.”

He added he hoped events like this would create a shift in public perception of wheelchair sports to make wheelchair racing a mass participation event.

“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,” he said.

Gus will be supporting Weldmar Hospicecare. His fundraising page is www.justgiving.com/gusrolls