Friday's Local Hero: For Owen McGhee, being on the water is an escape. An escape from the disability that is ravaging his muscular system and should, according to doctors, have killed him by now.

For Owen McGhee, being on the water is an escape. An escape from the disability that is ravaging his muscular system and should, according to doctors, have killed him by now.

At the age of 69, his participation in competitive rowing is admirable enough without motor neurone disease inhibiting his physical faculties. Ten years ago, when diagnosed, McGhee was told he would "succumb within five years", yet yesterday he could be found on the River Clyde matching his crew-mates stroke for stroke during a training session.

His only complaint was the cold.

Four times a week, McGhee travels from his Bridge of Weir home to the Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club's Glasgow Green base for a 60-minute stint with the three other members of his boat. Normally, that would be complemented by a visit to the gym but last season he missed the gruelling weights routines. Instead, he was walking 20 miles a week in preparation for the Cape Wrath half marathon.

Given the extensive mobility difficulties caused by his disability, that he and two fellow oarsmen completed the course in less than four hours, raising £10,000 for the Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association, is testament to his resilience and determination.

"There are not many sports you can continue doing with MND," admits McGhee, his tendency to abbreviate the condition's name reflective of his attitude towards its effect on his life. "Rowing is an exception because I'm sitting down and balance isn't an issue. You know, when I'm in that boat I forget that I have MND. With the three other guys sitting there, my rhythm and movements become a natural extension of theirs and I feel normal."

The sport has, he insists, kept the worst of the pernicious depredation at bay. His balance remains impaired and his muscular reactions damaged, but the former IBM employee insists the disease has had little impact in his overall strength. Evidence between continued activity and a slowing in the depreciation of the muscles is scant but, even if the effect is only a placebo, the benefits to McGhee's mental wellbeing are not in doubt.

The complexities peculiar to a team environment are his drug of choice. The pressure of delivering for colleagues is a powerful stimulus and is credited by the Glasgow native as his motivating force.

"The whole thing of being with normal people in a physical sense and having that competition and stress makes a huge difference," reveals McGhee, his gravelly tone a consequence of a decade-long struggle. "They ignore my disability as most of them are used to it but they adapted subtly to meet my needs. They will help me into the boat and are very aware that I don't take a header into the water but once I'm sitting down, it's all down to me."

While a competitor in a variety of sports over the years - "mountain climbing, windsurfing, diving, canoeing, marathon running oh, and I had a flutter with skydiving and paragliding" - rowing has remained a constant thread since he first joined the club in 1957.

It is a familiar theme in the sport. Many of the same faces have populated the water throughout the years, with one of McGhee's 21st century colleagues even coxing him on his first-ever outing on a boat. Indeed, the current crew not only participated in Clydesdale's 150th anniversary regatta last summer but all four also rowed in the centenary celebrations, three of them in the same boat.

As a gold-medal winner in the World Masters regatta for veteran competitors six years ago and a sub three-hour marathon runner, the father of two has enjoyed success and plans a sixth consecutive defence of the Scottish Veteran Championship title this summer. However, his focus now also encompasses work to help others as vice-chairman of the Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association.

"When they gave me an outlook of five years at most, that was quite a stimulus," McGhee confesses. "In your darkest moments, you might think of being told something like that but when it actually happens it gives you a rocket to do something. I just hope what I'm doing now can give hope for those involved in this kind of disease."

This week, it claimed another high-profile victim when John Cushley, the former Celtic player, lost his struggle just two years after former team-mate Jimmy Johnstone. As well as adding another Masters gold when he moves into the 70-74 age bracket, McGhee's future plans include examining potential links between the condition and those involved in sport as his attempt to help others continues.

The sporting arena often produces remarkable individuals and Owen McGhee has no plans to make his escape any time soon.