“I wasn’t going to stop till I hit the finish line and I know you guys won’t stop until all the cages are empty.”

When New Yorker Kai Madden is wearing a sodden and muddy bear suit and taking a second, third and fourth run at a steep wall – his mind is with 10,000 bears caged in China by bear bile farms.

Their pain gives him the strength to carry on, and he’s determined to raise tens of thousands to help towards their release.

It’s all part of Tough Mudder, an 18km-plus obstacle course that emphasises teamwork in overcoming human hamster wheels, mud crawls, monkey bars, fire hazards and even electric shocks. Only the bravest take part – but only Kai would do it in a bear suit. And this weekend he’s doing it again – and he needs your support.

On Saturday, November 7, Kai hopes to add to the US$40,000 he’s already raised for the Animals Asia. If you are as moved by what Kai does as we are, we hope you’ll consider sponsoring him.

What is the non-bear Kai Madden like?

He’s an IT manager and has worked at PepsiCo for 10 years. His favourite habitat away from home is the pub. He enjoys playing poker, watching horror movies, scuba diving and spending time at the beach with his wife and two dogs.

What gave you the idea to run the Tough Mudder dressed as a moon bear?

I saw this one guy running with a huge teddy bear on his back. It was then that I knew what I had to do.

How long have you been dedicated to the bears? Have you done anything else to support animal conservation charities?

I first learned about Animals Asia back in 2011 and did my first fundraiser that year. I had the privilege of meeting Jill the following year at a screening of “Cages of Shame” in New York. She is such an inspiration, I kept thinking of ways I could help from the other side of the world.

There are so many causes out there it can be overwhelming. It wasn’t until I picked one to focus on that I felt like I could really help make a difference. 

I became vegetarian about 12 years ago, which I imagine is one of the best things you can do for animal conservation. As a little boy, I remember finding an injured seagull at the beach on vacation. I brought it back to the hotel room and made my dad take us to the vet. That part of me never changed. I’ve been involved in my fair share of animal rescues ever since.

Who made the bear suit? How is it constructed?

Ironically it’s from a Chinese website. They have a brown version, and they kindly made me a custom version in black. Then I just made myself a black T-shirt with a crescent on the chest (and Animals Asia logo on the back of course).

What was your training like for the first races? Did you wear the costume while training?

Yes. I would run down Broadway in Tarrytown, New York, and along the Hudson River. It was embarrassing at first, but then you remember it doesn’t matter because no-one can see who you are. It was priceless to see the looks on people’s faces when I ran past. Especially when I knew their names and said hello to them. I got a lot of people honking at me too. Here’s a video I made on my first training run:

'There’s some very moving footage of you struggling through parts of the course. One particular part that hit everyone at Animals Asia was the skate ramp you had to run up – your bear suit was caked in mud, and you were struggling to reach the top. You fell down several times, you must have been exhausted after coming that far on the course already. But still you wouldn’t give up. That song by Flux Pavilion “I Can’t Stop” is playing in the background of the video – but in real life, the crowd was chanting “Bear, bear, bear". Finally, with your team’s help, you reached the top.

Just watching in our office, we all got a little misty at the symbolism. Is that sense of overcoming this all for the bears something you felt in the moment? 

Definitely. I try to imagine what it must be like for these bears, day in and day out. The suffering must be immense, and only death to look forward to, which is years, sometimes decades away. Without Animals Asia there would be no hope for them.

Just as I wasn’t going to stop until I fell over the finish line, I know you guys won’t stop until all the cages are empty.

How much money did you raise? Were there any other effects of your advocacy that you noticed?

That particular run as a bear, I raised US$10,000. All in all over the past four years, donations have totaled about US$40,000. I’m so thankful for all the support and encouragement from everyone. 

Animal cruelty is something most people turn away from, which is understandable. It’s really upsetting and depressing. Other than raising money, I’m hoping to raise awareness in a positive way, which Animals Asia does so well. I have a Facebook and Twitter account for the bear (ToughMudderBear).

Your other teammates were also wearing Animals Asia shirts. Were they aware of this cause before you introduced them to it? Will they also be participating in your upcoming run?

Yes. Kate and Marisa were existing supporters of Animals Asia I had met, and somehow convinced to run the Tough Mudder with me. Jude is a friend from work who was new to the cause. I couldn’t have done it without them.

Jude is running again this year and we have a few others joining us. I think one guy even has his own bear costume. Must be catching on.

How was it inside the bear suit? How did you clean it?

I wear wresting ear guards to help keep the head from jostling around too much. Vision-wise it’s like looking through two cardboard tubes. So I can’t see much, or hear much. It’s heavy and wet. Inside it’s hot and sweaty like you wouldn’t believe. Yet I can’t wait to do it again.

The head I was able to rinse off with a hose. When I took it to the dry cleaners, they seemed a bit perplexed, but did a good job on it. The body suit is a one shot deal though. No way I would wear that again. I have replacements, and an extra head though, just in case.

Will you ever use the bear suit for any other purpose than to run Tough Mudder – educational, for Halloween, for Ninja Warrior or otherwise?

Yes. Last year I handed out leaflets about bear farming in Central Park. For World Animal Day on October 4th, I ran through Manhattan with the rest of the New York volunteer group to raise money for the bears. In the article Tough Mudder just published, they asked if I’d do the World’s Toughest Mudder in costume (it’s a 24-hour Tough Mudder in December). I said I’d tough it out for the bears if someone was willing to sponsor me for a large sum of money. This Thanksgiving I’d like to scare people in their tents camping outside of Best Buy on Black Friday.

What are your preparations like for this year’s Tough Mudder? What do you hope to accomplish this year?

There’s not much that can prepare you for running the Tough Mudder, let alone in a bear costume. You just have to do it. If I gave it too much thought, I’d probably talk myself out of it. I would like to make it up the ramp this time with the bear head on. And across the monkey bars. I’ve been doing extra pull-ups at the gym.

Raising money and awareness for the bears has always been my primary focus, and this year I’d like to try and raise US$50,000. But if I can inspire someone to do something equally ridiculous for a cause they care about, or recruit some new Animals Asia supporters, that would make it all the more worthwhile.

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