A big St Johnstone fan is tackling one of the world’s most difficult one-day events to raise money for an autism charity.
Martin Abercromby has signed up to the annual Ironman Triathlon on July 10 in the scenic Swiss town of Thun.
He will take on the heroic challenge of completing a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and then run a full distance marathon all on the same day.
McDiarmid Park regular Martin will be raising money for Scottish Autism - Scotland’s largest provider of autism-specific services - as his son attends the charity’s New Struan School in Alloa.
It has been leading the delivery of specialist education for children and young people with autism in Scotland for over 35 years.
Fresh from watching the Perth Saints scrape away from relegation, Martin has been busy putting in the hours of training to prepare himself for the ultimate test of endurance.
“This is a huge challenge but one I am looking forward to taking on,” he explained this week.
“I began preparing for this event several weeks ago as part of my six-month training schedule which will be seriously challenging, both mentally and physically.
“I hope I can raise some much needed funds for Scottish Autism. The charity does great work in supporting autistic children, young people and adults.
“My son Adrian is currently benefiting from attending New Struan School, the only Scottish autism-run school in Scotland. Attending New Struan has completely changed Adrian’s school life and gives him the education he and others deserve. It is extremely fortunate that he has a placement at a school which specialises in supporting autistic pupils."
Martin had set an initial fundraising target of £1200 but he has already smashed through that figure thanks to a number of generous donations. This week, he was just shy of breaking the £2000 barrier.
“Thank you to everyone who has donated so far,” Martin said.
Karen Wilson is Scottish Autism’s income generation lead and made sure to send her best wishes to Martin ahead of the trip to Switzerland.
“We are extremely grateful to Martin and to everyone who donates to his JustGiving page," she said.
“Scottish Autism is Scotland’s largest provider of autism-specific services and all funds raised help to provide vital support for autistic people and their families right across Scotland when it’s needed most, including maintaining our Autism Advice Line which has seen calls treble since the beginning of the pandemic.
“We wish Martin all the best with his training and in completing this incredible challenge.”
You can donate at the following link: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/martin-abercromby-ironman
