HOW RUNNING HELPED SHAUN DEAL WITH ANXIETY
AMAN who says he found running gave him back his mental well-being is aiming to run the entire Welsh coastal path.
Shaun Faulkner, who has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, will run a staggering 870 miles in the challenge, which he started on September 9.
He had originally planned to finish it today, but a knee injury early on meant he had to take a few days’ rest.
Through the challenge he is raising funds for charity The Autism Directory to help build a holiday respite centre.
Shaun, who is originally from Bridgend and now lives in Merthyr, said: “Physically the hardest part so far has been dealing with a jarred knee after landing awkwardly early on in the c hal l e nge and pushing through the pain.
“The support team has been n crucial, with h cups of tea,a, encouraging g words and d dealing withh ever yt hing, g, so that all I have to do is run.”
When he was growing up, Shaun said, he found it difficult to relate to the world around him and at points said he felt suicidal. In 2010 he found that running was a great way for him to regain his mental well-being.
In a note on his website Shaun said: “At my worst I felt suicidal, my mind was the only way to stop the suffering, and I realised the first step was the motivation to change. So I watched and read every adventure book I could find, then I reread them over and over until I couldn’t resist it. Eventually I reached a point where my desires had become stronger than my fears instead of the other way round.”
In a video he made to promote his run, Shaun said: “The environment when I am out running is what takes me away from any problems that I am having. There is a lot to say about the anxiety or panic I feel. Agoraphobia, social phobia, I get severe discomfort in crowded places and formal situations, which covers much of life.
“Nature is just where I have always felt at home. It does a lot for your motivation. If you are not motivated you are quite happy to sit in the house and do nothing, and then you focus on the things that make you anxious.
“I just want to make people realise there are alternatives that can be more effective.”
The money Sh Shaun raises wi will go to The Au Autism Directo tory’s building of a holiday r respite centre. This is a place fo for adults with a autism to go where they can have a break and learn indep pendent living skills.
The Autism Directory was founded in 2010 by Nadine Honeybone. She said: “When someone first gets told that their child has autism one of the first things they do is to go home and search on the internet for information. The Autism Directory was started to put all of the information in the same place.”
Since it began the website has been a great success and now receives more than 10,000 unique visitors a month.
Nadine is full of praise for Shaun’s accomplishments. “His body is in a good place but it is a mental challenge. For Shaun this is a very big personal challenge and proving to himself he can do it. It is an amazing gift to have that determination,” she said. eTh