How eco-adventurer Isaac Kenyon is taking on the London Marathon to help create 'a cleaner, greener world'
Isaac, whose previous challenges include completing an Ironman wearing a 15kg weighted vest, will be attempting to run the marathon dressed as a tree.
Isaac Kenyon loves a challenge.
On Sunday, he will be taking on the London Marathon, completing every step of the 26.2 miles dressed as a tree in an attempt to not only break a Guinness World Record but raise awareness about the climate crisis and how we can all make an impact to help.
The 30-year-old eco-adventurer has previously rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, cycled from the Orkney Islands to the Isle of Scilly, and finished a full Ironman wearing a 15kg vest to represent the weight of mental health issues.
It’s a far cry from when crippling anxiety threatened to derail Isaac’s life.
In 2015, he was diagnosed with a panic disorder after suffering physical pain, including heart palpitations, which led to him attending A&E.
Initially, he took the “macho” approach to how he was feeling, pushing through long hours at work, but eventually his doctors told him the physical symptoms he was feeling were the result of anxiety.
Since then, Isaac has dedicated himself to taking on a series of extreme challenges, with the aim of raising awareness of, and money for, environmental and mental health causes.
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Isaac’s London Marathon challenge will see him attempt to break the World Record for the Fastest Marathon Dressed as a Tree, while campaigning for Earth Day, which is happening the following day on April 22, 2024.
He is hoping to complete the event in around four hours, despite wearing the cumbersome tree costume which weighs 7kg. The current record stands at four hours, five minutes and six seconds.
The experienced runner has previously completed a 230km run between the three highest peaks in Wales, while other extreme events include climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
After struggling with his mental health, the motivational speaker, business owner and environmental campaigner found that time in the countryside helped him to cope with his anxiety and embrace harmony in nature.
Part of his mantra is to communicate the importance of getting out in the great outdoors as a natural prescription for improving mental health, as well as re-connecting with nature to learn to care, nurture and protect our precious planet.
As well as being a Trustee for Mind, Isaac is also a qualified geoscientist who founded an award-winning media house and eco-adventure impact experience with Climate Explorers CIC (community interest company) to help uncover climate solutions and restore the Earth's ecosystems.
His latest challenge will see him once again attempt to merge the worlds of endurance sports and environmental stewardship.
Isaac's run - playfully dubbed a tree-athlon - isn't a solo endeavour, it's a call to action with fellow runners, spectators, and communities set to be inspired to join in on taking climate action.
The challenge is taking place in aid of Earth Day 2024, the largest civic event on the planet and one which has seen 36 million volunteers help to clean up their area and led to hundreds of millions of trees being planted.
On the day of the event, Isaac will be sharing easy wins for saving our planet and distributing wildflower seed to fellow runners and London Marathon organisers as a symbol of his dedication to environmental sustainability.
Isaac said: "The outdoors has helped me in my anxiety battles over the years. Nature has always been my answer.
"It has been my entire life. It is important to me to protect nature on a personal level, for my own wellbeing, but also for Earth's eco-systems, which we are a part of. Without good access to nature I'm not sure how my mental health and anxiety would cope, it's my lifeline and is vital for everyone else too.
"Taking on this challenge is a way of giving back to nature, which has saved my life, and of reminding people that every action, no matter how small, contributes to a cleaner, greener world, and a bright future."
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