Wayne DeMeyere (right) with his son Caleb. (Caloosa Belle/Geoffrey Ionescu)

Wayne DeMeyere is running the Chicago Marathon on October 7 for his son Caleb. His son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 9.

Wayne will be running for the charity Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks is an organization dedicated to promoting solutions for individuals with autism and their families through advocacy and support. They strive to increase understanding and acceptance of people with autism spectrum disorder and advancing research into causes and better interventions or autism spectrum disorder and related conditions.

Wayne is raising money for the charity and is halfway to his goal of $1,000. “We have raised funds through Facebook and sold Autism Speaks bracelets at Two Peas during Autism Awareness Month,” Wayne says, “I have been training a lot, getting prepared for the marathon. It has definitely been a challenge but I love running, especially when I get in that flow. Caleb runs cross country at West Glades as well so I’m hoping that when he gets older, maybe we can one day run a marathon together. All in all I’m excited to run the Chicago Marathon for my son!”

If you want to donate go to http://act.autismspeaks.org/goto/waynedemeyere