Yahoo Finance A month of marathons — why is this Charlotte-area man running across the Carolinas?
Imagine carrying 25 pounds on your back. That’s more or less the weight of a toddler, or several folding chairs, or a hefty watermelon.
Now imagine carrying that weight while running a marathon. Actually, scratch that — imagine carrying that weight while running a marathon in the Carolina spring heat every day for a month.
Welcome to Richard Sexton’s world.
On April 28, the 57-year-old Concord technology consultant and longtime ultramarathoner began his journey to run 750 miles from Hothouse — a mountain township tucked between the Tennessee and Georgia borders — to Surf City, north of Wilmington. From there, he’ll head southeast and land in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, crossing the Carolinas in just 30 days with a 25-pound slam-ball in tow.
And he’s not just making the trek for the fun of it. Sexton, who teaches students with disabilities as a substitute in Cabarrus County Schools, is running to support Champion Autism Network. Based in Surfside Beach, the nonprofit helps businesses make their spaces more accessible and enjoyable for autistic people and their families. During Sexton’s run, titled Carolinas CAN Ruck for Autism, CAN aims to raise autism awareness — and $50,000 to support its work.
Even when Sexton first dreamed up the plan with CAN Executive Director Becky Large, he knew he wanted to make this run stand out. “What can I do that will really get people’s interest and make it not just some guy running across the state?” Sexton said. “Because plenty of people do that, or hike across the state.”
Enter Slappy.
He’s big. He’s bad. He’s spherical. He’s a 25-lb slam-ball that Sexton will carry with him for all 750 miles. Sexton will alternate between holding Slappy on his shoulder, toting him in a sling, carting him in a rucksack on his back and lugging him in a baby carrier.
Slappy is meant to represent the weight of the day-to-day challenges that autistic people and their families carry, said Large, who has a teenage son on the autism spectrum.
“I know that when my son gets home from school or work he’s exhausted, just from trying to focus and do what needs to be done and look me in the eye,” Large said.
‘Don’t try this at home’
Slappy’s presence during Sexton’s run will pose a unique challenge for the expert endurance athlete. Traditionally, the sport of rucking involves cinching a weighted plate in a backpack close to your back. But Slappy will jostle around and pull Sexton’s center of gravity backward.
During his training — which sometimes entailed waking up at 3 a.m. and rucking in the freezing dark — Sexton focused on strengthening his core and balance. His coach, Concord resident Jeff Switalski, has had him practice standing on unstable objects and carrying weight unevenly on his body.
(Switalski’s advice to readers: “Don’t try this at home.”)
Sexton will run on the side of highways during daylight, facing traffic. (If there’s minimal traffic and he’s feeling bored, he might turn on a history podcast or some electronica.) If he comes across a road that lacks a shoulder or is otherwise too dangerous, he’ll call a support car that will be lingering nearby. If it rains, he won’t mind, unless it affects visibility: He wants to be sure other vehicles can see him.
“If I have one concern, it’s … not getting flattened by a semi,” Sexton said. “That would put a damper on things.”
Traffic safety aside, one of Sexton’s most formidable challenges will be maintaining weight as he burns calories all day every day. He’ll rely on high-calorie snacking, shoving down what he can at fast-food restaurants and making up for any deficit in the evenings, which he’ll spend at hotels.
Autism awareness
“You’ve got to give this guy some respect because he really is doing it for a good cause. He’s actually put in the work for it,” said Myrtle Beach resident Eden Alon, 23.
Alon, who has autism, hosted a segment on a podcast that CAN used to produce, correcting misinformation and myths about autism. He now runs CAN-sponsored workshops on autism awareness and acceptance at Coastal Carolina University, from which he graduated recently.
Alon said he finds CAN’s mission exceptionally important. “Because a lot of people get false ideas about autism or don’t know what it is — especially for businesses, where they see a kid do a tantrum or something like that in the restaurant. They’ll be frozen, like, ‘What do we do? What do we do?’”
Over the years, Alon has seen more and more storefronts displaying the CAN sticker, indicating that they’re complying with the nonprofit’s guidance. Since its founding in 2012, Large said, CAN has worked with between 80 and 100 businesses. Among them are restaurants, movie theaters, aquariums, resorts, indoor trampoline parks, airports and more. For these partner businesses, CAN has designed online training modules that autistic people have reviewed and approved.
By educating businesses, CAN aims to make it easier for people with autism and their families to go out and enjoy themselves without fear of judgment. For example, at a restaurant, a patron with an autistic child can show the staff their CAN card. From there, accommodations kick into gear. Perhaps the family’s order is expedited; perhaps they’re seated in a low-traffic area; perhaps the child receives ear defenders if they need them. The server is prepared for communication difficulties, and they know not to ask rapid-fire questions.
For Alon, sensory issues can come into play when he gets overwhelmed — and he said if he’s having trouble while out in public, he would definitely rather be in a space that’s sensory-friendly.
“It’s like deciding on whether to drive a car or a truck,” Alon said. “Sure, I can drive a truck. But I much prefer the car.”
Working with autistic children in his role as a teacher, Sexton said he’s seen how the right conditions and the right environment can abate some of their struggles. In raising awareness with his run, Sexton said, he hopes to promote understanding and empathy for autistic people.
“I’m just the ball carrier,” Sexton said.
To donate to CAN, to connect with CAN’s social media and to follow along with Sexton’s run, you can visit carolinascanruckforautism.com.
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