Fitness instructor to endure quadrathlon to raise funds for Dubai Autism Centre

Frank Spencer will start with a 500-metre swim across Mamzar lagoon before cycling 30km to Jumeirah beach, where he will paddle 10km to Atlantis the Palm before wrapping it up with a 15km run.

Personal trainer Frank Spencer will attempt a five-hour test of his endurance to raise funds for Dubai Autism Centre. Razan Alzayani / The National

DUBAI // A fitness expert will tackle a five-hour endurance challenge to raise funds and awareness about autistic children in the emirate.

Frank Spencer, 40, has been a fitness instructor for 18 years and he has specialised in weight loss, strength and conditioning training in the UAE for the past nine years.

He will undertake a quadrathlon that will cover most of the Dubai coastline to raise funds for the Dubai Autism Centre.

The centre is a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with autism and their families.

“DAC charities don’t get enough attention. As much as I want to do this for the children, I want to do it even more for the parents. It is quite a challenge raising an autistic child,” said Mr Spencer, who passed the Royal Marines Commando course aged 17.

He will start his quadrathlon with a 500-metre swim across Mamzar lagoon before cycling 30km to Jumeirah beach, where he will paddle 10km to Atlantis the Palm before wrapping it up with a 15km run.

Mr Spencer is still trying to finalise the agreement on where the finish line will be.

He said that the hardest part of the endurance test would be the last leg: “Getting off that paddle board and facing the fact that I have another 15km to run is going to drain my spirit. I’m going to have to dig deep mentally and physically to get through that.

“I’ve always done charity events, and this particular event has been on my mind for a while, but I’ve been suffering from injuries for the past three years that have hindered me.

“It is our responsibility as residents of this great city to care for those in need – we are all one community and one family in the end.

“Autism is also on the increase these days. There are studies released all the time that look at what our lifestyle is doing that could be causing this rise in autism.”

Autism-spectrum disorders describes a range of neurological developmental conditions. They usually affect an individual’s verbal and social communication skills.

The incidence of autism is increasing worldwide, with a 400 per cent rise in cases in the past decade. One in every 88 children is affected by an autism-spectrum disorder.

Currently the Dubai Autism Centre, located in a villa in Al Hudaiba, is functioning at full capacity, providing individual educational programmes to 46 students, with another 270 on the waiting list.

There is also a six-month waiting list for the assessment and diagnosis services, in spite of the fact that the centre conducts two to three assessments per week.

Work began on a new Dh52 million building in 2007 with a completion date initially set for 2009, but the global economic downturn delayed it.

Now it is slowly moving forward with an aim to be completed next year. Building on the framework has been completed and DAC has been able to gather half of the funds required.

Mohamed Al Emadi, director general of Dubai Autism Centre, said: “The new centre, which will be built with a capacity of up to 300 children, had stopped construction work for years because of lack of support. It is one of the humanitarian projects that serves a not-so-small slice of the UAE community.”

Mr Al Emadi called on all business, residents and organisations to lend a hand and help to speed up completion of the project to turn a dream into a reality that benefits all autistic children who are in dire need of support.

Mr Spencer’s charity event will help to bring that dream a step closer.

“My aim in doing this is to raise awareness about the kids, they are really great,” he said. “I want people to know about them and try to help. Maybe I can inspire a few more people to do charity events for DAC and they, in turn, can inspire others and pretty soon the kids will have their new centre.”

Mr Spencer’s quadrathlon is on February 28. Anyone wishing to sponsor him should contact the centre on 04 398 6862.