A young runner with autism defies expectations in his marathon debut
A young runner with autism defies expectations in his marathon debut
At 13, Mr Lucas Tan started running because a teacher thought it might help him focus.
Instructions had to be broken down into many simple steps, guided by a team of coaches. It was not long before he found his niche in long-distance running.
Before each race, Mr Tan would write down simple instructions given by his father, on the protocols to follow during the run.
Even with a six-day work week at a laundry factory, Mr Tan sticks to his training routine - 5km runs or intervals on Monday and Thursday evenings, and long runs on Saturday mornings.
Now 24, he has collected 72 race medals - among them are 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.
