Hercules dance captain Travis Kerry to attempt to set bear crawl world records

West End performer Travis Kerry is preparing to attempt to complete a 50km bear crawl on 30 November in support of men’s mental health causes.

Kerry, who has appeared in a number of major productions including Hercules and Hamilton and founded the body wipe brand Swypes, plans to tackle the London Landmarks Half Marathon route twice, aiming to set Guinness World Records for both the longest and the fastest marathon bear crawl.

The attempt, timed to coincide with men’s mental health awareness month, is raising funds for Movember and the Mental Health Foundation. Kerry has set a £10,000 fundraising target and hopes the challenge will encourage men to seek support during difficult periods. He has invited members of the public to follow his progress online, donate or watch the attempt in person. Those wishing to take part alongside him are also welcome.

Kerry said today: “I knew I wanted to break a record, and I knew I wanted to do it in fitness, and I’m pretty efficient in bear crawling. The day I saw the record was even possible I got on the treadmill and managed one kilometre so I thought – if I can do one, I can do 50!”

He reflected on his training journey (involving between two and three hours of exercise every day), adding: “This one crazy exercise my trainer came up with was putting my feet on the seat of a rowing machine and my hands in bags of ice on the floor to almost fry the nerves in my hands, then I’d bring my knees into my chest, it was a killer. After that I’d go into a set of push ups on the rings or something to burn out my chest,” he explains. “Power, speed and overall mobility has been key.”

You can watch Kerry in a newly released video here: