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Lara Sullivan | Autistic Runner

@sullivanlara

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🏃‍♀️RUN THE SPECTRUM
⚡️12 half marathons 2026 for autism accessibility
🧠@spicybrain.podcast @spicy.runclub
Disability Advisory Group @londonmarathon

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I got diagnosed with autism as an adult, it explained a lifetime of feeling different without knowing why.

The relief was huge.
But so was the loneliness.

Because nobody really tells you what happens next.

How do you unmask?
How do you navigate friendships, work, relationships, burnout, sensory overload, when you suddenly realise your brain works differently?

That’s why I created Spicy Brain 🌶️🧠

A weekly podcast exploring life through a neurodivergent lens, with honest conversations from people across the spectrum, late-diagnosed adults, experts, advocates, and people closely connected to the autistic experience.

This isn’t a clinical podcast.
It’s emotional, funny, messy, insightful, and real. The kind of conversations I wish existed when I was trying to figure myself out.

We’ll talk about:
✨ Late diagnosis
✨ Autism in women
✨ Masking & burnout
✨ Relationships & friendships
✨ Mental health
✨ Work & everyday life
✨ Neurodivergent success stories
✨ And the things people usually keep to themselves

There are neurodivergent people in every single room. This podcast is for the people who’ve always felt out of sync with the world, and for the people who want to better understand them.

🎙️ Spicy Brain Podcast launches May 26th with new episodes weekly.
Subscribe on @spotifyuk, @applepodcasts & @youtube. taken in London, United Kingdom by @sullivanlara

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2 months ago

Autistic runner and founder of Run The Spectrum, Lara Sullivan (@sullivanlara), is using her lived experience to highlight what neurodivergent inclusion in running can look like. Diagnosed as autistic at 27, she describes years of anxiety and depression that eventually led to therapy and the realization that she had always felt different. The diagnosis reframed her past and how she understood herself, and later changed her relationship with running.

Her diagnosis brought mixed emotions. "I felt a lot of emotions. Relief and validation were part of it, but there was also anger," she explains. Around this time, she returned to running after years away from the sport. What began as short runs to process emotions quickly became a means of regulating and grounding. She later signed up for the London Marathon in 2023, despite never having run more than 5km.

Training became a key way for her to process her diagnosis. Running gave her structure and clarity, and helped her regulate emotionally. Crossing the finish line, she describes feeling an unexpected sense of peace with being autistic. Since then, running has supported both her mental well-being and her social confidence.

As she became more involved in racing, Lara noticed a gap in accessibility. Race environments can be highly overstimulating, with noise, crowds, and constant sensory input. "Instead of focusing on running my best race, I sometimes find myself going into survival mode," she says. Neurodivergent needs, she explains, are routinely overlooked, whereas physical disabilities are not.

This led to two projects. Run The Spectrum is Lara's personal challenge to complete 12 half marathons in 2026, culminating in a full marathon, to improve accessibility for people with autism at races. Alongside it, she founded @spicy.runclub, a neurodivergent-designed community launching in London this June with four ways to join: a social 5k, a sensory-inclusive quiet 5k (ear defenders welcome), a 3k walk, and a virtual option for those who prefer their own environment.

What's one small change you wish race events would make to feel more welcoming to neurodivergent runners? by @sullivanlara

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2 months ago

VOGUE X NIKE DECEMBER 2025 ✨ I’m in @britishvogue babyyyyyyyyyyy

The best experience surrounded by an incredible team 💕

Full team credit:

Photographer: Courteney Frisby @courteneyfrisby
Photo Assistant: Alice Lee @alice.rose.lee

Stylist: Justin Hamilton @justinplz @aframe_agency @justinplz
Styling Assistant: Katie Somavia @katiesomavia
Seamstress / Tailor: Qasim Okhara @okharraa

Hair Stylist: Issac Poleon @issacvpoleon @thewallgroup
MU Artist: Mata Marielle @thewallgroup @mata_marielle
Hairstylist Assistant: Ana Torres @iamanaveronica
MU Assistant: Tahiyah Ali @tahiyahmakeup

Creative Director: Boatema Amankwah @_boatema
Designer: Emily Batten @emilybattenx
Lead Creative Producer: Costanza Pereyra @costanzapereyra
Producer: Geri Kinde @geri_kinde
Senior Copywriter: Cassie Doney @cassie.dny
Project Manager: Liv Hicks
Sales Director: Amelia Morley @ameliam0rley

Runners: Edijs Snjerjersons @edijssnejersons
TJ Jevon

@nikelondon @ldn_slct @manni_o @sabinevanasbeck taken in London, United Kingdom by @sullivanlara

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8 months ago

Have you ever felt lonely but surrounded by people? 🌶️🧠

Feeling out of place, not fitting in are many of the feelings autistic people experience even thought they might appear to have friends or a group of people around them.

Full episode on Spicy Brain, link in Bio 🎙️ taken in London, United Kingdom by @sullivanlara

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2 days ago

Do autistic people grieve differently to neurotypicals? 🌶️🧠

Full episode with Joe Wells on Spicy Brain. Link in bio 🎙️ taken in London, United Kingdom by @sullivanlara

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3 days ago

Life lately 💕 taken in London, United Kingdom by @sullivanlara

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5 days ago

SPAIN VS FIFA. VAMOSSSSSSS 🇪🇸❤️ taken in London, United Kingdom by @sullivanlara

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6 days ago

How autism sometimes shows up in little girls, by a neuroscientist 🌶️🧠

Full episode with Gina Rippon on Spicy Brain. Link in bio 🎙️ taken in London, United Kingdom by @sullivanlara

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6 days ago

Headlines calling ADHD women “delusional”, or “politicians” calling the neurodivergent community benefit shirkers are so common lately. Could we instead provide such public platforms to actual neuroscientists who have been studying autistic brains for decades or neurodivergent families with lived experiences? Just an idea ☺️🌶️🧠 taken in London, United Kingdom by @sullivanlara

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7 days ago

If everyone who is autistic had a diagnosis, how many would we be? 🌶️🧠

Full episode with Gina Rippon Part 2 on Spicy Brain 🎙️ taken in London, United Kingdom by @sullivanlara

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9 days ago

Everyone please congratulate Frankito on his first swimming lesson. Safe to say he’s a little mermaid 💕 taken in London, United Kingdom by @sullivanlara

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10 days ago

PART 2 Gina Rippon on Spicy Brain now live! 🌶️🧠❤️

Bullying is one of the most common experiences autistic individuals and in particular autistic women share. Gina explains the difference between “female bullying” relational bullying and the transitional physical bullying we might be more familiar with.

If you too have been bullied, you’re not alone. Many many many other autistic people share that experience with you ❤️

Link in bio to the full episode ❤️ by @sullivanlara

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11 days ago