Richard Runs in Armour for Autism

Richard Bird will be runing in the Melbourne Marathon Festival wearing about 25kg of mediaeval armour, including a helmet that alone weighs about 10kg.

Richard has been training around his local area giving other runners and cyclists a bit of a surprise as he clanks by.

“People just can’t believe that they’re seeing. Although with the helmet on I don’t normally hear what they’re saying,” says Richard.

Our Knight in Shining Armour will be taking on the 5.7km run which starts at 11am on Sunday 14 October and he’s hoping to finish in under an hour.

Richard and his wife Tracey, are members of the Preussenreise Mediaeval Club which re-enacts battles from the 14th century Baltic crusades; members take pride in the accuracy of their costumes and other ‘props’, looking at historical documents and checking with historians to confirm the authenticity of the reproductions. 

“I feel that I was born in the wrong era,” says Richard. “I’ve loved mediaeval history all my life and I’d love to have lived in that time – I feel full of energy and life when I have the suit of armour on.”

Richard Bird takes on some of the Amaze staff and rescues a couple of damsels!

It takes Richard a good few minutes to get into costume: the undertunic, the chain mail vest, the various pieces of armour that go onto this arms and legs, helmet, gloves and shoes.

Richard decided to raise funds for Autism Spectrum Disorder and will be running with his father-in-law, Ralph, aiming to raise $5000 for Amaze and as he says, “This is a great way to stand out.”

If you would like to support Richard’s run, please click here.