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A loving uncle was at Abertay University for high level sports analysis as he bids to raise funds to boost a group used by his disabled four-year-old niece.
Stuart Fraser from Perthshire will take on the London Marathon next month and was at Abertay to undergo a gruelling VO2 max treadmill session with the aim of measuring his cardiovascular fitness.
The 36-year-old is raising funds for Perth and Kinross Disability Sport (PKDS)who provide therapeutic trampoline sessions for his niece, Maisie, who has cerebral palsy.
Lecturer Marie Clare Grant from Abertay’s Division of Sport and Exercise put the former Royal Engineer through his paces during a session in the University’s sports performance lab in Dundee.
The Vo2 max test measured Stuart’s maximum rate of oxygen consumption as the treadmill gradually sped up and raised into an incline position, thereby providing a measure of his aerobic fitness.
Following a successful test that rated his fitness as “excellent” for his age group, father-of-two Stuart, a store manager in Aberfeldy, revealed he hopes to complete the London Marathon in under three hours and raise more than £1,000 in the process.
He added: “Having Maisie in the back of my head will spur me on to do as well as I can, so hopefully I can do my best and the donations will start rolling in.
“Locally lots of kids get a benefit out of what PKDS does and Maisie gets a direct benefit out of it.
“Being given the opportunity to do a marathon on their behalf is a great opportunity and they can use the money to provide kit and facilities for children and adults to take part in sport - which is something we all take for granted."
Caroline Ness, Branch Manager at PKDS knows Stuart through Perth Road Runners and was always confident he would rise to the challenge.
She said: “I’m over the moon that Stuart has put himself forward and I absolutely knew that he would commit himself 100% and make a difference to the work that we are doing.
“We have family activity days where adults and children with sensory and physical disabilities come in from across the whole of Perth and Kinross.
“It’s a large area and we know there are a lot of people out there who could take advantage of our service, so I would encourage them to get in touch and come to see what we do.”
To donate to Stuart's effort visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=StuartFraser5&faId=790239&isTeam=false
To find out more about Abertay’s selection of sports-based courses visit www.abertay.ac.uk/discover/academic-schools/social-and-health-sciences/sport-and-exercise-sciences/