Running to Live: Franck Derrien, Marathoner with Asperger Syndrome

You can’t miss him: a teddy bear in one hand and a T-shirt bearing a powerful message, “I’m autistic, so what?” Franck Derrien is an endearing personality and an extraordinary runner who finds joy, friendship and, quite simply, his reason for living in running.

Meeting Franck is a lesson in humanity. Wearing his usual bright blue T-shirt like a banner to show that autism does not make anything impossible, Franck Derrien wears his heart on his sleeve. “I have Asperger syndrome, I’m the French adapted-sport cross-country runner-up, I’m part of the French adapted-sport performance squad, I live with Teddy and I feel very alone.” It is a frank introduction. And an incredibly poignant one.

Franck is happy to open up, his beloved teddy bear Teddy clasped in his hand, “a childhood bear I was born with and will die with.” His autism does not affect his intellect or language. Quite the opposite. Asperger syndrome, a neurobiological condition, mainly affects social interaction and certain everyday situations. The world can seem confusing, but the brain, body and five senses work perfectly. “Things that are easy for everyone else can become very complicated for someone with Asperger syndrome,” Franck explains. “For example, I have an issue with touch: I don’t like being touched without warning. I also find it hard to cope with contact with water.”

Running, connecting and finding calm

Franck was not diagnosed with Asperger syndrome until he was 16. He endured a difficult childhood in which his difference became a powerful source of exclusion and loneliness. “I lived through 16 years of suffering,” he says. But the young man fought on. He left his Paris home to study at the École Nationale de la Statistique et de l’Analyse de l’Information in Rennes. His disability made studying difficult, however, and Franck had to give up his engineering degree. He packed his bags and moved to Grenoble, where he knew a community café offered support to autistic people. He found vital help there, as well as a playground worthy of his appetite for running in the surrounding region. He had been running since he was very young.

“I had good endurance as a child. I’m not fast, but I can run for a long time... and I really love it!” Franck says. He took up trail running, including some of the wildest challenges: 8,000 metres of elevation gain at the Montées de Venosc, the Ut4M Challenge, and even 802 km in eight days, finishing third at the No Finish Line. He is a member of the UTMB® Adaptive Team, which brings together 12 people with disabilities. In 2024, he ran the MCC in its colours and will line up for the OCC this summer. He also enjoys road running, completing the 100 km de Millau in under 10 hours and setting a marathon PB of 2:52. “Long distances help me switch off. They calm me down. Running is my reason for being. I train for the pleasure of it, without a coach or a schedule. I don’t like strict training plans and I’m not chasing pure performance.”

Running is my reason for being. If I couldn’t run, I’d rather die.
Franck Derrien

Achieving great things despite autism

Despite his autism, Franck enjoys connecting with other people and running allows him to build strong friendships within the running community. He trains once a week in Grenoble with a group of enthusiasts and regularly heads into the mountains with local runners. He makes no secret of his autism. Quite the opposite: his T-shirt displays his disability, not as a protest, but as a statement “that you can do things even when you’re autistic.” Committed to greater inclusion for people with disabilities, Franck does not run only for himself. Whenever he gets the chance, he helps push joëlettes. “In 2024, I was part of a team of seven runners pushing Eric, a young boy with Coffin-Lowry syndrome, in a joëlette at the Paris Marathon. It was tough, but being part of a crew is a wonderful shared experience and a real team effort. I’m so moved to bring happiness to people who are unable to leave their wheelchairs! If I couldn’t run, I’d rather die.” »

So Franck runs. All the time, everywhere. In 2024, he took part in the Olympic Games’ Marathon Pour Tous, adding to his collection of encounters that nourish him and break through his painful sense of isolation. Followed by a strong community on social media (@franckderrien1306 on Instagram and Franck Derrien on Facebook), he is immensely grateful to those who support and encourage him. “Even though it’s virtual, it helps me. I motivate myself by thinking that my posts seem to do people good, especially parents of autistic children who often write to me.” Despite the distress he admits to feeling every day, Franck remains positive. “Society seems more accepting of difference today than it was 30 years ago. Disability is better understood. I think things will continue to improve.” An optimism that is up to all of us to honour.

By running, Franck Derrien traces far more than a sporting route: he opens a path of hope, resilience and humanity. Through his challenges, his candid words and his now-iconic T-shirt, he challenges prejudice and reminds us that difference does not make anything impossible. His is the race of a man determined to live fully, bring people together and deliver a powerful message: autism is no barrier to greatness. Thank you, Franck, for this lesson in life.