After running for 67 days and 7,200 kilometres, Dave Proctor crested a small hill at Mile 0 Thursday and went straight to the statue of Terry Fox.
He laid his head at the feet of his hero and cried.
“I grew up in Canada and like most Canadians, outside of my mom and dad, who are the most exemplary people I’ve ever known, there is Terry Fox,” Proctor said moments after finishing his record-breaking cross-Canada run.
“Terry Fox has taught us, all of us, every Canadian, what grit and determination are … you can really do anything as long as you just try and give it your all.
“I think all Canadians have taken great lessons from Terry Fox … when I was running across this country, I would look up ahead and see Terry struggling and I’d say, if he’s struggling what’s my excuse. I’ve got no excuses.”
Proctor, a 41-year-old massage therapist from Okotoks, Alta., finished his remarkable cross-country run in 67 days and 10 hours, shattering the previous mark of 72 days set by legendary Victoria ultra-marathoner Al Howie in 1991.
Proctor averaged an incredible 107 kilometres a day — the equivalent of just over two daily marathons. Along the way, he shed 16 pounds, wore out 12 pairs of running shoes and lost a couple of toenails running 12 hours a day through the Maritimes, the Canadian Shield, the Prairie provinces and the Rocky Mountains down to the Pacific Ocean.
The elevation changes along the way added up to scaling Mount Everest five times.
All the way, Proctor wore his trademark Stetson cowboy hat.
He ate oatmeal mixed with seeds every morning and gorged on high-calorie baked goods, with his crew buying out bakeries along the route, supplemented by watermelon and fruits and high-calorie dinners each night.
“I feel like I’m on top of the world, feeling so blessed to have this opportunity … I’ve just seen the most beautiful country in the world,” Proctor said after being greeted by about 100 fans at Mile Zero, including his parents, who arrived for a surprise visit.
Proctor had attempted the St. John’s-to-Victoria run in 2018, but stopped in Manitoba after suffering severe back spasms.
This time, he was determined to make it.
“My son has a drive, it’s just in him,” said Proctor’s father, Randy, who travelled from High River, Alta. with Proctor’s mother Nancy. “The first time he tried in 2018, he didn’t make it. And it’s not like him not to complete anything. He’s always done his very best and, as a father, you can’t ask much more from a son. We are so incredibly proud of him.”
Proctor had a talk with Terry’s Fox’s brother, Fred, who found the marathoner in Northern Ontario. Terry Fox stopped his Marathon of Hope near Thunder Bay.
“It was perfect, the timing,” said Proctor, “because I was really struggling in Northern Ontario. It took me 20 days to run across Ontario. To understand there was that level of suffering, and Fred saw it first-hand, made me feel that I could stick it out and do anything.
“If cancer didn’t take him, Terry Fox would have finished. There’s no question. And not only that, he probably would have got here and turned and ran back the other way. He’s the strongest person I’ve ever heard of.”
Proctor was also gracious about toppling Howie’s seemingly unbeatable record by five days.
“There a whole array of heroes and Al Howie is a hero of mine,” said Proctor. “That man’s grit and determination … I feel very honoured to be able to stand here with the heroes I’ve always looked up to.
“Al Howie stood here. He has a bench right over there that I just can’t wait to go sit with. I’m going to have a moment with Al and I’m going to thank him for setting the example of what humans are truly capable of. I wouldn’t be here without people setting an example like Al did in 1991.”
Scottish-born Howie, who died in Duncan in June 2016 at age 70, was considered the ultimate ultra-marathoner, setting the world record for the longest continuous run — 580 kilometres around the Centennial Stadium track in 104.5 hours — to promote the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games.
He won more than 50 marathons, ultra-marathons and stage races during his career, and was inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
Proctor was presented with a replica of Howie’s induction plaque by Harriers runner Joseph Camilleri.
The father of three said his cross-Canada run allowed him time for “a lot of soul searching.”
And it was grueling.
“I can’t even tell you how many parts of my body ache right now,” he said. “This really hurt, but you know where there’s a will there’s a way, but there’s no level of hurt you can’t move through. There’s nothing that humans can’t do if they set their minds to things. We are resilient.”
