Man bear crawls 5K for St. Mary’s teddy bear donation

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) - Someone dropped off a “beary” special donation at Saint Mary’s Children’s Hospital on Thursday, March 30.

Mark Haverland of Gilbert, Minnesota donated 300 teddy bears for children to have at their bedsides.

He raised the funds for this donation by bear crawling an entire Spartan 5K Obstacle course.

Haverland met his goal of $2,000 through his GoFundMe “Bear Crawl For Bears”.

He says being uncomfortable during the race was worth it because of the comfort he is giving to the kids.

“I believe if we can bring comfort to someone when they’re in an uncomfortable position, we might as well do that right?” said Haverland. “It’s always about pushing yourself to be better, and if you can help others along the way that’s an extra benefit.”

He is planning to do another Spartan race in Dallas in October.

And since everything is bigger in Texas, he is doubling the distance to 10K.

He will also be raising money during that event.