Run for Autism: sporting event raises awareness about autism
On May 18, the second charity race “Run for autism” was held in Astana. The organizer of the event is the Bolashak Corporate Foundation with the support of the Astana city akimat and partners, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The purpose of the charity run is to raise public awareness about autism, improve the quality of life of people with autism and provide conditions for their socialization and implementation.
About 13 million tenge of collected charitable funds will be used to open inclusion support rooms in kindergartens for children with autism and other mental disorders.
The race took place over four distances: 1 km, 2.5 km, 5 km. and 10 km. The cost ranged from 5,990 tenge to 8,990 tenge. In total, 2,330 people from the cities of Astana, Almaty, Pavlodar, Karaganda, Uralsk, Ust Kamenogorsk, Kyzylorda, Kokshetau, Ekibastuz, Stepnogorsk, Taldykorgan, Shakhtinsk, Aktobe, Semey, Arkalyk, Atyrau, Kostanay took part in the charity race.
The guest of honor of the event and participant in the race was the Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Maulen Ashimbayev.
“«Run for Autism» is more than just a sporting event. The President of the country, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, pays close attention to the issues of supporting citizens with special needs and creating an inclusive environment in our cities and villages. Today we are taking another step towards ensuring that children in our country, regardless of their characteristics, have equal opportunities for learning and development. I urge everyone to support this important initiative and do everything possible to further build an inclusive society where every child can realize their potential,” said Ashimbayev and thanked the organizers of the race.
The race was attended by professional athletes, para-athletes in bocce, sign language athletes, amateurs, specialists working with special children, more than 120 children with special needs, parents and many others, etc.
“This is my first time participating in the race. Participating in this race is my way of raising awareness of this topic, supporting those who face the daily challenges of autism, and promoting knowledge that can improve the quality of life for people with ASD. In my work, I help children with developmental disabilities cope with unwanted behavior, communicate and interact with others. We use proven methods and work together with families and other professionals so that children can better cope with everyday tasks,” notes ABA therapist Almas Akan, who came to the race along with colleagues from the capital’s сhild development сenter for children with special needs.
As part of the event, the “Fun Starts” sports and entertainment relay race was held for children with autism and other developmental disabilities. More than 100 children aged 5 to 14 years with autism, mental and speech delays, Down syndrome, etc. took part in it. After the relay race, the children received medals and gifts from the event partners.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bolashak Foundation Dinara Ghaplan shared about the future of the project in an exclusive interview with the correspondent of Kazinform News Agency.
Considering last year's experience and this year's marathon, what conclusions can be drawn?
I was already thinking about changing the venue next year, because if the first time we gathered 1,000 people, this time there were 2,000. When we ran, it was a little crowded to run. I would probably ask our city akim, the akimat, to block off parts of the city.
Second, today I noticed that about 10 people with hearing and speech impairments ran. It would probably be great to think through some kind of training activities for them. There may also be a more detailed announcement, because, I think, there are even more people who want to come. We need to do such training events and involve people with special needs.
What do you consider your most important achievement?
The most important achievement is the people. This is every person who, firstly, registered, put on this T-shirt, and came today for running, that is, this is 2,000 people. This is also the attention of the authorities. I am grateful to the akimat of Astana. Today the Chairman of the Senate also ran. This is great, because here people run for a reason, not just for fun. This means that we will gather even more people, and this will allow us to implement even more projects.
All finishing participants received commemorative medals, and the distance winners were awarded diplomas and medals. Each runner received a race package: shopper, T-shirt, race number, raffle number, meal ticket and sports snack bar.
Astana resident Amangeldy Doshchanov is 81 years old and the oldest participant in the race. He registered for 10 kilometers:
“Today I want to test myself, try my strength. We all, regardless of age, should take care of our health, value it, and take care of ourselves to lead a healthy and fulfilling life. 70-, 80- and 90-year-old people from different countries take care of their health, sports, and lead an active lifestyle. There are such people in our country too. And, of course, I want to support children with autism,” Doshchanov noted.
The winner of the 10 km race among women, Gulmira Gazizkyzy, shared her experience and advised beginners in an exclusive interview with Kazinform News Agency.
What advice can you give to beginners who want to participate in races?
Beginners definitely need to prepare for such races. The best thing to do is find a trainer. There are community running clubs around the city, and there are open free training sessions in different places.
What do you like and dislike most about running?
I generally love running, I started when I was 30, and I have been running for 7 years now. Since that moment, a lot has changed in life. I believe that running improves any person. There is nothing I dislike about running.
What do you think about while running?
While running, I think about running. I think this is my thing. I can concentrate, analyze - this gives me control over running.
The first charity race “Run for autism” in Kazakhstan took place in April 2023. More than 1,100 people from 7 cities of the republic took part in the event, including 96 children with special needs. As a result of the race, 7,000,000 tenge of charitable funds were collected. With these funds, the Bolashak Foundation equipped three inclusion support rooms in kindergartens in Astana. 18 children with autism spectrum disorders study in these classrooms.
