Meet Ajax’s Very Own Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man

by Sannah Choi

*This article is reproduced courtesy CBC News (Oct. 22, 2020)

CBC Toronto's Meet the Neighbours series catches up with the man behind the mask running through Ajax.

Wayne Young is the man behind the mask and has become somewhat of a local celebrity. (Sannah Choi/CBC)

Look out! Here comes the Ajax Spider-Man!

Since March [2020], there's been plenty of buzz as Spider-Man has been spotted running past suburban streets, through wooded trails, and along the waterfront in South Ajax.

Wayne Young is the man behind the mask, and has become somewhat of a local celebrity.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, he decided to pull out a Spider-Man costume he had worn from a previous 5K run and started running in it.

Soon, Ajax Facebook community groups were trying to figure who he was and how they could snatch a photo.

"It gave me a little bit of a purpose to get out there every weekend and see the smiles on their face," said Young.

"It actually energized myself and gave me hope and happiness... So, I just kept doing it."

As restrictions eased [in 2020], Young started charting his route based on Facebook requests for photos and met many families in his community along the way.