John Almeda a Sacramento runner with nonverbal autism will be competing in the Boston Marathon

The story of John Almeda keeps getting better. The Sacramento young man with non-verbal autism is preparing to leave for Boston next week. He won’t be there to do any sightseeing.

He has his sights set on the Boston Marathon. John qualified while finishing the California International Marathon last year on a broken ankle.

A local company was so inspired by his story, they decided to sponsor him. Total Nutrition asked for a meeting and John’s mother Vanessa tells said she was shocked to hear what they had to say.

“The first thing out of their mouths was–we sponsor athletes and we would love to take John on. We think he’s amazing and they’re paying all of our airfare,” Vanessa said.

Even with the sponsorship, John still needs some help to pay for other parts of his journey to Boston. His family and friends are throwing him a send-off party Saturday, March 30th at New Helvetia Brewing on Broadway in Sacramento.

They’d love to have the community stop by from 1 to 4pm. As for the marathon itself, John will be among the first wave of runners on April 15th in Boston.

His mother tells us, “The thing is, this was his dream–he’s been watching Boston on YouTube videos for years and this is his dream and he’s made it there.”

posted Saturday March 30th