Perth man’s 3500-mile journey for Macmillan

May 21 2010 by Johnathon Menzies, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

PERTH man Stuart Wyllie is aiming to run and cycle almost 3500 miles to raise cash for a charity with close ties to the Big County.

Letham resident Stuart (49), who is an officer at Perth prison, has already completed this year’s London marathon and has his sights set on the New York version on November 7.

But the Perth Road Runner is determined to traverse the distance between the two cities, a total of 3460 miles, as well as contesting the two renowned races.

Explaining the logic behind his seemingly-endless charity effort, the former soldier told the PA he is determined to go the extra mile to raise crucial funds for Macmillan Cancer Support over the next few months.

Stuart said: “Because I do marathons and half-marathons on a fairly regular basis with my running club, I thought doing the London marathon on its own wasn’t really much of a challenge.

“I’ve always wanted to do New York too but, again, it covers a distance I’ve done countless times before.

“At the moment, I’m either running or cycling ten miles a day, six times a week.

“The physical training officers at work are monitoring my progress and keeping an ongoing total of the mileage to make sure it’s official.

“I’m having to be careful to make sure it doesn’t interfere with what I’m doing when I’m on duty at the prison.

“But the fitness staff have kitted me out with a machine that clocks-up the miles as I’m going along – I’m going to pick up the pace now the weather’s getting better.”

Stuart, who was based in Germany with the Royal Corps of Signals before leaving the army in 2003, went on to reveal emotional reasons why the work carried-out by dedicated Macmillan nurses will fuel his desire to complete his demanding quest.

He continued: “My mother passed away after suffering from cancer in 2005, my sister’s been diagnosed with it and so has my wife, Jackie.

“Once someone close to you is told they’ve got cancer, you begin to realise it affects a lot more people than you would necessarily think.

“You hear statistics being mentioned, but they don’t carry as much weight until they affect you personally.

“I’ve always enjoyed running, but the last few years have given me a reason to focus my efforts on something like this.

“I’ve asked that any money I raise be used locally here in Perth.

“I know that Macmillan has a large presence here – especially with the Cornhill centre being connected to PRI.”

To sponsor Stuart’s big-hearted effort visit the website www.justgiving.com/coyote3460miles