On the 23^rd of June with the support and guidance of our charity partner, AsIAm, Autism Friendly Waterford and the Waterford City Council, the Waterford Viking Marathon will host the first ever Autism Friendly run. We are so excited about creating this opportunity for so many, that have been excluded from running events before. A huge thank you also to our sponsors Carten Controls, Sun Life and Medite Smartply for supporting such a wonderful event.

The event starts at Grattan Quay in Waterford City. Participants cross the Edmund Rice Bridge, and head for the Waterford City Bypass where they will pass through a toll bridge - a rare opportunity in Ireland. The route then takes a turn, leading to the scenic Greenway by the River Suir. After enjoying the natural beauty of the river and trees, participants return to Grattan Quay for the finish line, covering a distance of just over 8 kilometres.

Crossing the finish line, participants will be greeted with a sense of accomplishment, having conquered the unique challenges and completed the first of many Autism Friendly runs. All participants will receive a race day medal, goodie bag and t-shirt.

A number of measures have been put in place to create a safe enjoyable environment for all participants to run or walk the event. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, wvm@wlrfm.com 

Suggested accommodations to make the race more autism friendly and to remove some barriers associated with an organised run:

• You can Run or Walk this event.
• If you like you can bring a friend or family member to run or walk with you. (please inform us in advance if you are, and of their name).
• If you have no one to bring but would like this support, we will have some Autism Friendly trained runners who will volunteer to walk/run with small groups to provide support along the way. Please inform us of your need by 3^rd of June.
• Purple t-shirts provided for participants must be worn so that all participants are easily recognisable and can be supported appropriately.
• No bib requirement as this involves safety pins and noisy paper tags (this will reduce sound and texture overload). Paper wrist band with participants emergency details must be worn instead.
• We recommend participants to wear headphones/earbuds (to reduce sensory overload of unwanted sounds and to increase regulation with chosen sounds)
• Sunglasses/caps recommended to be also worn by all (to reduce glare and sensory overload and help with any flashes from cameras).

• Separate start and finish points from Waterford Viking Marathon. (To reduce crowds and possible overwhelm)
• All stewards will have all received the Autism Friendly training session from Autism Friendly Waterford. Stewards will all be wearing purple bibs so that they can be easily identified and will be ready to support appropriately.
• Visual signs every 500m to enable people who struggle with spatial awareness and direction (dyspraxia) to stay on track.
• Toilets available at start, halfway and end of race (sensory processing can impact on an Autistic person's ability to pick up on body signals such as toileting needs).
• Water stations set up at start, halfway and end of race (regular hydration will help to reduce interoceptive overload and help with recovery post-race).
• Space located close to the start/finish line which will be set up as a quiet/regulation space (to enable regulation and recovery).