Mikey Brannigan

Our kind of hero: middle distance runner and Sports Illustrated High School Athlete of the Month Mikey Brannigan is showing the world that autism and high achievement are in no way mutually exclusive. “Now the defending national champion in the outdoor 3,200-meters, Mikey is one of the best high school middle-distance runners in the country and is beginning to look beyond his high school running career towards his Olympic dreams, starting off with an invitation to train for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro as a dress rehearsal for the traditional Olympics in 2024.” You can read more about Mikey in the full cover article on Sports Illustrated.

The timing of his SI cover photo is pretty great, too, as the 2015 Aut2Run 5K, 10K, trail and 15K combo run is coming up soon on April 19th at CSUCI. Last year’s event, which donates 100% of profits to supporting the Autism Society of Ventura County, sold out with 2,500 participants. Of course we’ll be there, both to compete and as a resource provider. If you want to join us – and help us support other aspiring heroes like Mikey – sign up soon at Aut2Run.org.