A GARROWHILL dad-of-two is putting his legs to rest after cycling 900km in just nine weeks to raise money for a charity close to his heart. 

Martin Donaldson, who was born with a rare congenital heart condition, completed a virtual tour of the 12 Scottish Premiership clubs from an exercise bike in his back garden.

The 42-year-old committed to cycling nine miles every day for nine weeks - spending a total of 31 hours in the saddle and covering a distance of 914km.

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He will now donate cash raised by his efforts to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to support the charity's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. 

Martin, a football fan who is also donating money from his challenge to the Celtic Football Club Foundation, was born with tetralogy of Fallot - a congenital heart condition which affects the development in the structure of the heart. 

He has undergone eight operations so far, the first when he was just 3 months old.

Over the years, Martin has raised tens of thousands of pounds for the BHF whose research, he says, has helped save and improve his life.

He said: “I just wanted to do something different to help the BHF because their work is so important, especially at this time. 

"The advances that have been made in the treatment and diagnosis of heart disease, even since I was born, have been huge and we need this progress to continue. 

"When I compare my scars to the simple scar a child going through heart surgery has today, the sheer size is different and their recovery time is far quicker. Research has helped this happen.

“The cycle challenge was hard, I’m not going to lie, but I am so glad I did it. I had to go out on the bike in all weathers every day – although I took the bike into my shed to escape the rain - and I did have my moments when my legs were so tired and I really had to push myself to keep going. But now that I am finished, it feels great. Though I must admit I’m looking forward to putting my feet up for a bit.”

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The BHF is the UK’s biggest independent funder of research into heart and circulatory diseases and relies entirely on donations from the public.

James Jopling, Head of BHF Scotland, said: “Martin’s challenge has been truly inspiring. It has been great to follow his progress over the last nine weeks and we’re delighted to see him complete it.

"Our research over the last sixty years has revolutionised how we prevent, diagnose and treat heart and circulatory diseases to save and improve lives.

“But at a time when our research is needed most, the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic has meant we’ve had to cut the amount we invest by half.

We can't slow down now. Too many lives are at stake. Hearts need help more than ever and we urgently need support.”