Run a Marathon With Severe Autism

Since I'm training for my first-ever marathon this fall, I subscribed to Runner's World Magazine. One of my first issues, April 2009, tells (briefly) the story of Jonathan Brunot, a 19 year old from West Hempstead, NY. He's autistic, and according to the blurb, only speaks 10 words.

He ran the NYC Marathon in 4:49 with Rolling Thunder, a special-needs running program. At the finish, he clapped and waved to his parents for the first time.

Wow.

Says Brunot's trainer, Vincent Del-cid: "At the marathon, Jonathan was confused at first by the crowds as they cheered for him, but then he liked it and started to run faster. When he received his medal, he looked up at me and said, 'Malathon.'"

While Runner's World homepage no longer has the article, you can read more about autistic runners at these links:


Asia Running (blog of an autistic marathoner)
Autistic Runners (on Autism Runs Blog, by an autism dad)
Athletes with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (an article by Jennifer Copley)
Runman, blog of Autistic Runner Alex Bain (who you can see on the YouTube video below)