Meet the Cardiff student who’s sporting a unicorn costume to support those battling cancer

Student Alex Line is the inspiration we all need right now


The streets of Cardiff have seen some crazy things, but over the past few weeks it would not be unusual to pass an inflatable pink unicorn and a couple of lads in pink out on a run.

One Cardiff University student set out on the streets in his unusual costume, where he has been ‘running stupid against cancer’ for charities.

Who’s the guy responsible?

The person behind this initiative is 19-year-old Cardiff University student, Alex Line. He’s been running 5-15km a day since the beginning of November, with the aims of showing support for a close friend, raising awareness and support for those who are battling cancer, and to “add some positivity”.

Quick pop into Lidl

Alex started off providing links to charities such as Sue Ryder, Cancer Research UK, and Macmillan Cancer Support. However, after a few days of ‘running stupid against cancer’, Alex decided to set up a GoFundMe due to many demands that he should set up a donation page.

Alex has raised £811 in donations already

All the money generated from the GoFundMe page was to go straight to the Sue Ryder charity. At the time of writing, he has reached £811 in donations out of his £1000 target.

You can support Alex’s cause by donating here.

Out and about

A cause very close to Alex’s heart

This cause is personal to Alex. His best friend Josh lost his mother recently, after a long battle with breast cancer. Alex was “close to [her] and thought [she] was an amazing woman”. But he also emphasised that cancer is personal to us all. He said: “1:2 people are affected by cancer in their lifetime”.

Around the two-week mark of ‘running stupid against cancer’, Alex received the news that his granddad had developed a small cancer on his prostate – truly showing that cancer can affect our loved ones when we least expect it. This further inspired him in his efforts to try and make a difference.

There was a slight bump in the road

The pink inflatable unicorn costume recently got ripped after Alex ran into a road sign, so he had to take a two-day break while waiting for the arrival of a new one.

He also was met with many confused (but amused) faces while on his rounds through Cardiff, so he decided to add ‘running stupid against cancer’ across the belly of the unicorn suit – so people didn’t think he’d just lost a bet!

The new and improved pink unicorn

Alex is also participating in Movember

Not only is this lad running stupid against cancer, he is also participating in Movember, growing a ginger tash to raise awareness of male health.

When asked if he had plans to do something similar to this in the future, Alex said: “If this one is successful, I hope to carry this on to next year and run in a different costume, not sure what costume yet but it’ll be good.”

It’s great to see students doing all they can to make a difference in these strange times. Alex has put a smile on people’s faces, raised some great money for charity, as well as raising awareness to other students around Cardiff. Go Alex!

You can visit running stupid against cancer’s Instagram here.

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