Okotoks runner takes it one stride at a time in cross-country quest

An Okotoks ultrarunner is taking it one stride at a time in his latest bid to break a cross-Canada running record. 

Dave Proctor hopes to complete a run from St. John's, N.L. to Victoria, B.C., in 67 days, breaking a record for running across Canada that has stood since 1991. That year, Al Howie did it in 72 days and 10 hours. 

Proctor, who expected to be passing through the Calgary area over Monday and Tuesday this week, has some experience to build on for his second attempt at the record. 

His first attempt, in 2018, was scuttled mid-way by an injury he sustained as he ran through Manitoba. Forced to give up the attempt, he still raised $311,000 for Canada’s Rare Disease Foundation. 

This time, however, he is doing the run for himself. 

“But this time around, in 2022, my hope and goals are for myself,” Proctor said. 

“I’ve got these really big goals of going out and living my life and doing something really hard, and challenging myself,” he said. 

Drawn by challenges and the sense of accomplishment that comes from overcoming the urge to quit, Proctor said breaking this record will give him something to look back on. 

“And I couldn't think of anything harder in the world than to break the trans-Canada speed record,” he said. 

Howie ran an average of 100 kilometres per day during his record run, and Proctor has been steadily doing about 106 kilometres daily. 

Proctor said highs and lows should be expected when anybody attempts something like this, and feelings of invincibility can be replaced by being overwhelmed and exhausted. 

To deal with the ups and downs, Proctor tries to take it one step at a time, rather than think about how much further he needs to go to reach the Pacific Ocean. 

“We tend to catastrophize, we tend to make mountains out of molehills,” Proctor said 

“But right now, I know I can take one more step. And then I can take another step,” he said. 

The further he goes, the more his fitness level increases, and Proctor has been running more than 700 kilometres every week for nearly two months. 

“The fitness that you gain is really hard to describe to people,” he said, “you kind of feel a bit invincible, and super strong.” 

But the low points, he said, “are really, really, low.”  

There have been many times, he said, where everything aches and he thinks “how on earth am I going to get there (to the finish)?” 

He added that if he can keep his pace, he is confident the record will stand for decades. 

“It's a very small group who would even consider this,” he said, “but I feel like I'm putting in a really strong effort, that it's going to be hard to replicate.” 

“This is me living my greatest life,” he said. “And I want to know that I’ve given my all.” 

Proctor grew up in High River and lives in Okotoks. When he is not running down a Canadian highway, he is a registered massage therapist at a Calgary sports clinic.  

A map of Proctor's progress can be viewed at share.garmin.com/Proctor.