Next to step up to the virtual challenge is Daniel Williams. Daniel serves in the HM Forces and is a dad to four children, including George, who is currently being assessed for autism.  

Earlier this year, Daniel ran five half-marathons in five days while raising money for our charity. We spoke to Daniel about how he completed this incredible feat, and why he decided to run with Team Autism…

What inspired you to take on your half-marathon challenge and raise money for the National Autistic Society?

My four-year-old son, George, inspired me to raise money for the charity. He is currently being assessed for autism. George has been non-verbal up until recently, and he has very limited communication skills. He regularly experiences sensory overload. 

I find the autism assessment process extremely long-winded and frustrating. I’m sure 99% of families that are going through the same process would agree. From my experience, parents have to constantly battle with the process and often receive little support and communication from specialists.

George has to see a number of specialists, including an educational psychologist, dietician, speech and language therapist and the Children and Young People’s Autism Service. He requires more support, and at times it does feel as if he has been forgotten.

I wanted to raise awareness as well as funds for the National Autistic Society. I feel that autism awareness has improved, but there is still a lot that can be done. Parents of autistic children can play a vital role in spreading awareness through their stories. That was my aim when I set up the Run for George in Support of Autism fundraiser.

How did you complete your fundraising challenge?

I wanted to challenge myself. I’d never ran a half-marathon before, so I decided I was going to run five in five days. I had done no training for this but I knew it would be a good opportunity to raise awareness and funds. 

During the week, I ran various routes and tracked my run using a Fitbit running watch to display my results. These were uploaded onto Facebook after each run, along with an autism awareness video. 

Do you have any tips for fellow fundraisers?

For me, social media was the easiest way to fundraise. At first, I had no idea how to set up a fundraiser. I contacted the National Autistic Society and received a link from them which explained how to do it. The process was very simple.

If you are taking on a running challenge, I would recommend getting a running watch so people can see your results. 

If you have a connection to autism, then use the platform to tell your story and people will be able to relate to it. Spread awareness and repost your fundraiser daily so that people can easily see it.

Initially I was struggling to decide what I was going to do. My advice to others would be: challenge yourself but try and keep it simple, specific and measurable.