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Man to run London Marathon in polar bear suit

Alex Morris Alex is smiling at the camera with his thumb up, taking a selfie. He is wearing a white polar bear onesie, with the hood up, which is the bear's head. In the background is a building with a polar bear sculpture lit up on its roofAlex Morris
Alex Morris was inspired by Morris & Company's light-up polar bears

Polar bears are an annual fixture of Shrewsbury's festive skyline, but this winter, residents of the county town will witness one running its streets.

Alex Morris will run the TCS London Marathon in April dressed as a polar bear, to raise money for mental health charity Mind.

Mr Morris works at Morris & Company, which own and displays the popular light-up bears that go on display every year.

"I love the London marathon for what it brings for charity, you see all the silly costumes, all the people with wheelbarrows, all that kind of stuff," he said.

"I thought, well, if I'm going to run the London marathon, I want to run it for charity and try and do something a bit more extravagant."

It is a cause close to his heart, as both he and people he knows have had difficulties with their mental health.

Alex Morris A full-length picture of Alex in the polar bear suit. It is white with a polar bear's head as the hood. He is wearing a dark blue vest that has a white Mind logo on it. He is wearing blue trainers.Alex Morris
Mr Morris has been training in the suit to get used to wearing it while running

"I'm part of the construction industry, and the figures in construction in terms of mental health are staggering," he said.

"It's a very male dominated industry, talking about how you feel hasn't been traditionally accepted."

Mr Morris practices wearing the costume on his long runs, to ready himself for the full distance of 26.2 miles.

"On Saturdays I head out in Shrewsbury for anywhere between an hour-and-a-half and two-and-a-half hours running in the suit," he said.

"I think a lot of it is about hydration and just conditioning yourself to it.

"It could be blistering sunshine, it could be rain... so it's about remembering it's for charity and taking it steady and being sensible."

'Stood in the road as a polar bear'

Mr Morris has a fundraising target of £5,000, and has already raised more than £3,000.

"We went to London with my family a couple of weeks ago, I stood on Tower Bridge and there was a moment where I thought: 'Oh my god, I'm going to be stood in the middle of this road as a polar bear,'" he said.

"It's just a fantastic event, and I literally cannot wait to be part of it.

"I never thought I'd be part of it as a polar bear, but I think that makes it even better."

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