A die-hard rhino fan has set himself an enormous challenge of running 100 miles from London to Oxford in under 24 hours for charity.

Chris Green, 43 is taking on a series of running conquests by completing 20 ultra, mara, and rhinothons over the course of 18 months.

But perhaps his biggest tasks will come in April and May next year as he raises money for conservation charity Save the Rhino.

Also known as “Rhino Boy”, he previously ran the 26.2-mile London Marathon in a giant costume depicting the endangered species before doing it all again in the New York Marathon stateside.

He said: “I’ve loved them for as long as I can remember, so I struggle to get my head around how anyone could mean to harm them.

“I’ve felt the rhino love out there on the streets and from the marathon crowds when I have run by dressed as a rhino.

“So it’s all the more shocking to me that there are others in this world who would see them murdered simply for their horns.

“That twisted trade in rhino horn has pushed this magnificent species to the very brink of extinction.

“How could you not love the rhino?”

 

Rhino Boy: Chris Green dressed in a rhino costume during a marathon

Mr Green, who works in Sutton as a relocation manager but lives in Horsham, says he has run more than 213 miles in seven different events since July earlier this summer.

That includes a 50-mile ultra-marathon by the River Thames as well as climbing missions at Beachy Head down in east Sussex.

But before he runs 100 miles from London to Oxford in 24 hours, he plans to participate in the London Marathon dressed as a rhino again.

He added: “Protecting our animals for future generations is one of the greatest legacies we can leave behind, so let’s join in the fightback for this awesome species.

“After all – how could you not love a rhino?”

More than 7,245 African rhinos have been lost to poaching over the course of a decade, according to statistics obtained by Save the Rhino.

Despite the downturn in recent years, falling from a seven-year high of 1,215 in 2014 to 1,028 three years later, they say numbers are “still high”.

Mr Green has raised £675 through his Virgin Money Giving page, at the time of publishing.

His employer, Premier Relocation UK Ltd, who are based in Westmead Road, has sponsored him with a £500 boost.

To see the page, click here.

To find out more about Save the Rhino, click here.