Meggan Dawson-Farrell may have spent most of her teenage years rolling around a smooth athletics track, but her life as a whole has been nothing short of a bumpy ride. Currently aged 20 and aiming to make Team Scotland for next summer’s Commonwealth Games, Meggan was born with Spina Bifida and has consequently spent a significant portion of her life receiving medical treatment. However, she has found great comfort and success in Wheelchair Racing in the T54/57 category.

“I didn’t do any sport until High School because they didn’t know how to adapt their sessions for me. At 13, my Mum dragged me to a Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) Camp; I went kicking and screaming because I thought I couldn’t do anything. It’s funny, Mum actually had to book a hotel along the road incase I ran away.”

“Well it turns out I got to try loads of different sports and I actually loved it. I was spotted by Lynne Glen (SDS Regional Disability Manager) and she took me to a local Wheelchair Racing club and it has really blossomed since then, – haven’t turned back once.”

Living in Alloa with her biggest fans – Mum and Dad, Meggan burst onto the scene by finishing ninth in the 2012 London Wheelchair Marathon, claiming the Scottish record. Going from strength to strength, Meggan is now an established world class wheelchair racer over multiple distances, holding the Scottish record for every distance from the 400 meters to the marathon.

On race day, “On a mission” by Gabriella Cilmi is frequently played full blast in Meggan’s car and this could well be the theme tune to her life. Undergoing a remarkable four brain operations last Christmas, she has amazingly pushed on from fighting for her life to fighting for a place on Team Scotland and is now focused on making it onto the Glasgow 2014 podium.

“At first my mission was just to get through the heat, then it was make the final. Now the aim is to medal.”

In September, Meggan completed the Great North Run Half Marathon in 1.16 minutes despite the poor weather conditions. With her place on Team Scotland now confimed, she will go into the off-season with her eyes set on winning a Commonwealth Games medal in ten months time.

You can follow Meggan on Twitter @SpiderMonkey165

Photo Credit: Scottish Athletics