'I set an ice marathon world record as a polar bear'

"I was terrified at the start, it was -14 degrees and the temperature was even lower on the mountain pass".

The words of Gill Punt, who had more reason to worry than all other runners in the polar night marathon in Norway, since she was about to run it dressed as a polar bear.

But the PE teacher, from Worcestershire, not only crossed the finish line in under five hours, she set the world record for the fastest ice marathon dressed as a mammal, despite temperatures plummeting to -23C.

With that kind of determination, it is no wonder that she has single-handedly raised nearly £2m for Cancer Research UK with her exploits.

Ms Punt from Bromsgrove, travelled to Tromso for the challenge and, despite the plunging temperatures, she completed the 26.2 mile (42.2km) distance in four hours and 58 minutes, describing the experience as "sensational".

"I could hear the Arctic wolves' howling focuses you to keep running, but the visibility from the head of the outfit was really difficult, I could only focus on a couple of metres ahead of me", she said.

It is with such endurance running events that since 1999, after her father passed away from bile duct cancer, she has been raising funds for the charity.

Even by her standards however, the race was "a tricky one", with the dark, icy conditions making her realise why others rarely attempt it wearing a costume.

Ms Punt said she originally decided to wear the polar bear suit as it is the mascot for the cancer charity.

Earlier in her race career though, she has held the world record for the fastest marathon in a full bodied animal costume - at the London Marathon in 2016 - again dressed as a polar bear.

The costume helped her gain so much "notoriety" during the polar marathon, she was made the official race ambassador, attracting the attention of the Norwegian press in the process.

"When we came out of the wilderness, coming into the small villages there were children holding drawings of polar bears to support me as they had seen the pictures of me, it was bonkers," she remembered.

With that marathon, she has raised another £21,000 for charity, and Ms Punt says she will continue entering endurance events until she reaches her lifetime fundraising total of £2m.

"I don't know that the polar bear is completely retired yet, I think there's still one more adventure to have," she added.

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