By Andy Walter, Delaware State News

CAMDEN - Chris Marker was 2 when doctors first diagnosed his condition.

He was autistic.

The result of a neurological disorder, autism can be as mysterious as it is complex. In general terms, though, it affects a person's ability to communicate and interact socially.

Even though Marker was not much more than a baby, suddenly his future seemed so uncertain.

"He couldn't speak to you at all," remembers Marker's grandmother, Lillian Killen. "He couldn't communicate. He was into his own little world and we weren't sure if he would ever really come out."

Killen said she always stayed optimistic about her grandson's potential. Still, she couldn't help but worry sometimes.

"The only fear I had was what would happen to him when we were all gone," she said.

"Now I don't worry about him," Killen adds, "because I know he'll be able to take of himself."

Indeed, on so many levels, Marker is now just a typical teenager. A 15-year-old junior at Caesar Rodney High, Killen says her grandson likes to go on the computer or dive into his homework as soon as he comes home from school.

And while Marker's journey out of his "own little world" has been a long, slow road, his family will tell you that he has run the last mile.

Literally.

Despite having autism, Marker ran on the CR track team last spring. Now this fall he's on the Riders' cross country squad.

His accomplishments are measured in progress, not victories. But both Marker's family and his team will tell you it's been an amazing thing to see.

"Being a part of the team has made him grow in ways that we never thought would ever happen," said Chris' father, Eyvind Marker. "There was a time when we would have just been happy if we could get him to talk. Now the sky's the limit."

"It has made the biggest change in his life," said Killen. "He is much more confident and self-assured ... He makes eye contact better, he listens very well. It's just done wonderful things for him. We tell him every day how we proud we are of him."

"I use him a lot as an example for the other kids," said Charlie Bell, the Riders' veteran coach. "I say, 'Here's Chris, who may not have your ability, but he's working harder than you.' The other kids get inspira-tion from him when they see him working.

"Every time he runs, he gets a better time - which shows there's big room for improvement. He's just doing everything we ask him to do."

Marker has always been something of a pioneer. When he entered CR's Charlton School at the age of 2, he was the youngest student the school ever had in its autism program.

Now he may be the first athlete with autism to earn a varsity letter.

At CR, Marker is part of a program that mainstreams special-needs students into the high school.

Marker was already running on his own when someone noticed him running on the track after school last year. They suggested he go out for the track team.

Bell admits he didn't really know much about autism. But he said Marker was more than welcome to join the team - just like any other student.

"I wasn't going to treat him special," said Bell. "It was, 'Hey, these are the rules, this is what we do every day, I expect you to be here.' I've never had any problems."

For the first week, Marker had an aide with him. Bell said the youngster, who ran the half mile, seemed to keep to himself. But that didn't last long.

"The next week he was just like one of the other kids - joking around and that sort of thing," said Bell. "Socially, he fits right in. He's a typical teenager."

Physically, Marker does have some limitations. Like many autistic children, he tends to walk on his tip-toes.

But both Killen and Bell have noticed the more Marker runs, the more he walks with a regular gait.

Right now Marker runs the 3.1-mile course in about 30 minutes. Bell said a reasonable goal for him is to get down to the low to mid-20s by the end of the season.

Last spring he dropped his half-mile time from 4 minutes and 30 seconds all the way down to three min-utes.

Every time Marker runs, he has his teammates rooting for him.

"I tell you, they cheer him on - 'Come on Chris, Come on Chris ...' and they're high-fiveing him," said Bell.

"One of the things that really surprised me is how his teammates really encourage him," said Eyvind Marker. "I think that has a lot to do with his success. They don't look at him as being anything but one of their teammates."

And that's all Marker ever really wanted.

"Finally, finally, he is one of the guys," said Killen. "And that means everything to all of us."

Sports editor Andy Walter can be reached at 741-8227 or walter@newszap.com.