Nottingham man runs marathon backwards for autism awareness

An autistic man has run a full marathon backwards to show how neurodiverse people see things from a different perspective.

Charles Evans, who was diagnosed with autism as a teenager, took on the challenge to show “there is beauty in the difference” and to raise funds for the charity Autism East Midlands.

The actor crossed the finish line to complete his first marathon running in the wrong direction on Nottingham’s Forest Rec on Sunday, finishing in five hours, 26 minutes.

Mr Evans said running in reverse had been “an interesting feeling”, adding: “I think for a lot of people, it can be quite disorientating and you use different muscle groups, so feel the pain in different places.”

He said training for the backwards run had actually improved his normal running too.

“I’ve got faster forwards by doing this backwards running, so if anybody’s out there looking for a tip maybe give backwards a try.”

However, the unorthodox style does bring its challenges.

Mr Evans said: “I often run with other people who are kind enough to be my eyes for the day but there’s also a lot of bumping involved.

“The hardest part is actually other people’s opinions of it – the heckles that you get as you go out.

“Other people want to join in which is always fun – but generally it’s an overwhelmingly positive response.”

He said he felt that society was “starting to understand neurodiversity more”, but there was still work to do.

“I still think it’s probably woefully underfunded but there’s definitely a trend in the right direction,” Mr Evans said.

“What we’re going for is the idea of not only recognising it and understanding it but realising that there’s actually beauty in the difference.”

A spokesperson for Autism East Midlands said: “We couldn’t be more grateful of how Charles is using his voice to celebrate neurodiversity and the work we do.”