Marietta Man Puts on His Running Shoes, Bear Suit

native and student Bill Moss will put on his running shoes and bear suit to challenge runners in the Cuties Luckie 5K on Saturday.

The first 10 runners who "Beat the Bear” and cross the 5K finish line before the bear will be presented with a coupon for a pair of Karhu running shoes. Others who finish ahead of the bear will receive a free Karhu T-shirt.

Moss, a 29-year-old chiropractic student at Life University, will once again run as the “Bear” who all other runners will attempt to defeat.

“I’m expecting it to be just as tough as the course was last year,” Moss said. “I’m really hoping for a cool morning, because it gets very hot in the bear suit." 

Moss looks to improve upon his 10th place finish with a time of 20:02 from a year ago, allowing nine runners to “Beat the Bear.”

"Hopefully the Centennial Olympic Park course is slightly less hilly, but I’m expecting it to be just as challenging as the Grant Park course," Moss said. "Last year the participation among the racers and spectators was phenomenal, and I look forward to it being even more exciting this year.”

Moss has been running for 15 years and was the top finisher from Georgia in the 2012 Houston Marathon and placed 21st overall out of more than 10,000 runners.  

He is scheduled to graduate from Life in March and will begin practicing at Friends and Family Chiropractic in Marietta in May.

Karhu, which means ‘bear’ in Finnish, is the official shoe sponsor of the Publix Georgia Marathon.

The Cuties Luckie 5K begins at 8 a.m. followed by the Kids Fun Run, open to all kids 10 and under, at 9 a.m. The races start and finish at Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta’s Luckie Marietta District. 

All 5K participants will receive an official race-T-shirt and goodie bag.  Participants and spectators are encouraged to make it a family fun day and enjoy the race, and to visit the Health & Fitness Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center afterward. 

Registration is still open, with Cuties Luckie 5K online registration at $30 through March 16. The Kids Fun Run is $25.  Runners can also register at the Expo on Friday (noon to 7 p.m.) at the Georgia World Congress Center for the same prices, or register Saturday morning at start/finish line in Centennial Olympic Park beginning at 7 a.m. Race day registration is $35 for the Cuties Luckie 5K, and $30 for the Kids Fun Run. To register visit www.georgiamarathon.com.