Eco-adventurer's London Marathon 'tree-athlon' world record attempt a small step towards a "cleaner, greener world"

Isaac Kenyon, originally from Hertfordshire but now based in Devon, will be running this year's London Marathon dressed as a tree to raise awareness about the climate crisis and how we can all make an impact to help.

The 30-year-old is hoping 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.

Isaac is an experienced runner who has previously completed a 230km run between the three highest peaks in Wales. It is all part of a way-of-life that has seen him complete a host of adventures, including rowing across the Atlantic, completing an Ironman wearing a weighted vest to represent the strain of mental health issues, and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

The motivational speaker, business owner and environmental campaigner first started to take on endurance events as a way of tackling crippling anxiety. He found that time in the countryside helped him to cope with his mental health issues 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.

He is also running to raise awareness and funds for eco-adventures for underprivileged people, while he will carbon offset during the race and for his travel to and from it. People will be able to place donation bets on how much offset will be collected at the end of the run-through partner Climate Games.

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."