Mike Palmer

Mike Palmer is 28 years old on the autism spectrum. Mike grew up in Hopkinton Massachusetts and fell in love with the Boston Marathon. Living in Hopkinton, MA, about 1.5 miles from the start line, he could be seen cheering runners on as they started their 26.2 mile journey into Boston. He would be seen running home after the marathon and being told he was going the wrong way. In 2018, he became serious about running and set his goal on running in the infamous Boston Marathon. In 2019, his dream of running the marathon came true and he was hooked on running. Later that year he ran another Boston Marathon. In 2020, he ran two marathons within a month from each other, the Virtual Boston Marathon and the Virtual Marine Corps Marathon. Then, in 2022, Mike ran the Boston Marathon in April.

Mike is currently working for the State of Massachusetts as a service clerk for Mass Health. In addition to working for Mass Health, Mike speaks as a self-advocate for those who have Autism. He believes that everyone who has Autism should be treated fairly and given the same opportunity to succeed as those who don’t have Autism. He has shared his stories with many organizations including Footlocker and Unum. In addition to sitting on the board for the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation, Mike has been the captain of Dougie’s Boston Marathon team for several years. To date, he has represented the foundation in many marathons and has run a total of 7, including three in a span of 6 months.