How a young runner with autism stayed the course to finish his first marathon in under 5 hours
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Mr Lucas Tan was 13 years old when he discovered his passion for running.
It began as a simple activity to help Mr Tan, who has autism, stay focused.
But Mr Tan's natural talent soon became apparent.
“Lucas has a lot of running potential. He’s consistent and very competitive,” said his coach Norman Koh, who has been training him since the teen started out in 2014.
Now 24, Mr Tan has completed six half-marathons and most recently, a full marathon in Taiwan, where he emerged first in his age category of 20-29 with a time of four hours and 47 minutes.
The result is "a huge feat,” according to Mr Koh, noting that he completed his own first marathon in six and a half hours.
It was not an easy task, especially given the challenges of keeping Mr Tan focused through the entire race.
“For someone with autism to train for a marathon, instructions have to be broken down into many, many steps,” Mr Koh explained.
