Have you spotted the rhino running around the streets of Melksham? A local man, known as Rhino Dale, is due to take part in the TCS London Marathon on Sunday 23rd April, wearing a rhino costume, to raise awareness and funds for Save the Rhino International.
Dale Hayward, who has been training in and around Melksham said, “Wearing the rhino costume is like running in a crisp packet. It’s an old suit and probably adds about two stone. I think the run will take me 30% more time than it would without it.”
With the suit adding extra weight, Dale aims to complete the marathon in seven hours, with travel and wait times, he could be in the suit for much longer. He said, “I am going to have to leave the hotel in the suit and get the tube and by the time I have got to where I need to be, ran the marathon and crossed the finish line, I’ll probably be in the suit for around 12 hours.”
Wearing the suit alone is not the only challenge Dale has to contend with during the event. He said, “When I am wearing the suit, I can’t actually see out of it and have to crook my neck to see ahead which is not comfortable. It’s also not very well insulated and it squeaks and makes quite the racket, so it’s going to be a challenge. To run, I need to find a bit of curb and basically keep following it as a guide and hope that no-one is in front of me. To see ahead I have to physically lift up the whole suit which I won’t be doing for 26-miles!
“Organisers put a blue line on the ground which is the most economical route for people to follow. I won’t be able to follow this, I’ll need to follow a curb so I will probably end up doing more miles than 26.”
Dale aims to raise £1,800 for Save the Rhino International, a charity that works to conserve the five rhino species. So far, he has raised around £700 and, on the day, 60 others involved in the charity will join him in running the event, 18 of which will also be in costumes.
He said, “I was bought up on a farm and love animals. I am an animal minded person. Rhinos are an umbrella species which means that without them, other species would disappear. It’s not fair that they get bullied for their horns and get killed daily. I want to support the charity that is working to conserve them as they are such an important animal.”
It’s not every day you see a rhino running along the road and some residents, and dogs, have had shocked reactions. Dale said, “I have had many shocked reactions although it can be hard for me to see because I can’t actually see people or hear them! My favourite one was when I was at traffic lights beside an older lady. She looked and me a few times, then looked away. I then went up to her and said, ‘you alright’ and she jumped and couldn’t believe it. She actually thought I was a figment of her imagination.
“I also get lots of reactions from dogs too. There was one dog that saw me and ran 1.2 miles in the other direction to get away from me, other dogs have come right up to me, they want to have a sniff and a play and are very curious.”
Running is a fairly recent hobby for Dale; in 2019 he took part in his first parkrun and then after a few runs, was hooked.
He said, “My relationship with running has changed over time. I am not a runner and never liked running but I like the challenge. I said to my dad that if he reached the milestone of 25 parkruns then I would come and do it, thinking he wouldn’t reach that. He did, so I had to go. It took five or so weeks of continually going to it until I was bitten by the running bug.
“I then joined Forest Fitness and the weight loss programme, and took part in some events when I eventually started improving and getting quicker. At that point, I wanted more of a challenge and at the end of last year, I did some marathons and half marathons. I’ve also completed 78 laps of Shepton Mallet prison and 48 laps of Bovington Tank Museum in Dorset at night time.
“I love the social aspect of parkrun, most of the same people go each week and you can measure your improvements by pacing against them, it’s a safe environment and I just wanted to keep going back. The same is with Forest Fitness. I’ve got my parkrun friends; my Forest Fitness friends and my race friends. Everyone is just a lovely bunch of supportive people.”
Family and friends will be keeping a look out for Dale when the marathon is televised. He said, “In the meantime, if anyone sees me around Melksham in the suit and wants a photograph, do come up to me and get my attention, I am more than happy to have a picture. Be aware, that I won’t actually be able to hear, or see you, but try and get my attention anyway.”
Keep your eyes peeled, you might see a rhino on the loose around the town!
To donate and support Dale, visit his Just Giving page, https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dale-hayward-2023
