DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — One man is stopping in Ohio as part of his run across the U.S. — while wearing a bear suit.

Jessy Larios is running from New York to his home in Los Angeles California, all while wearing a cartoon bear costume. It’s a character he and his friend designed back in 2016, and now he wants to bring the character to life.

The character’s name is Bearsun.

He began this journey on the George Washington Bridge in New York on Nov. 5, he said. He’s now in his third week on the road.

Larios has five rules on his website that he keeps to during his cross-country adventure:

1.) The Bear Suit can’t come off while I’m on the clock running. I must complete all miles with the Bear Suit on.

2.) I can’t take rides while I’m on the clock running!

3.) I must start from each end point of the previous day.

4.) Have fun no matter how much it hurts.

5.) If I die I fail.

iambearsun.com

On Tuesday, November 22, Bearsun spent ran 67.10 miles, making his way west from Columbus to Murlin Heights, Ohio.

“The body will follow but the mind definitely has a bigger role in this,” Larios said. “I feel like my body will just keep going, but my mind is I guess the biggest challenge for me. That and this weight I’m carrying,” Larios gestures to his backpack. By his estimate, the bag weighs anywhere from 20 to 30 pounds.

Larios says this is his third attempt to make this cross-country run this year.

“No matter how hard life hits, I won’t let myself down,” he writes on his website. “Come hell or high water, I will get it done.”

He says the run is dedicated to everyone who’s had a difficult time managing mental or physical illness or who is struggling with fear to start something.

“I just kind of want to give that little kick to anybody that needs a, just a little push to do things with themselves or get started on things that they’ve kind of been holding back on,” Larios said. “Fear keeps people from just taking, just getting started on doing things.”

As he has made his way across the country, he’s noticed a forum of sorts built by people who have spotted him along the way.

“I’m just like running down this road that the entire community kind of drives by so it becomes like this forum of like, ‘OK, I saw him, I saw him, I saw him, wait he’s in this town, he’s in the other town, he’s been doing it for like 20-30 miles, what is he doing?'”

To learn more about Bearsun, or to follow his journey across the country, you can follow his Facebook page here.