Okotoks runner Dave Proctor is about a dozen days into a multi-month marathon.

He's looking to break the record for the Trans-Canada speed record set by Al Howie in the summer of 1991.

Howie ran from St. John's, Newfoundland to Victoria, B.C. in 72 days and 10 hours.

Proctor's goal is to do the same in just 66 days, aiming for 105 kilometres a day for 66 days.

It's not his first attempt, with a back injury thwarting his 2018 attempt, and the pandemic holding him up in 2020.

As an accomplished runner, Proctor knows he's physically capable of the feat, it's just a matter of staying out of his own head.

"I think the biggest thing is your mind, If I thought about Victoria, my goal is to get to Victoria in a certain period, that's going to cripple me. The idea of 7000 kilometres away and if this is how I'm feeling right now, how on earth am I going to get there? You can't go there, I think that what has to happen is you have to be here, now."

He's been passing the time as you might expect, with plenty of podcasts and music ranging from country to Canadian classics like Gordon Lightfoot, and of course some East-Coast tunes as he makes his way inland.

Proctor is also taking some time to really take in the sights that you'd normally miss on a cross-country drive.

"When you're driving, you're going too quickly to pay attention to these little things that are in the ditch. Just earlier today I saw a book that was like 'communication 101.' I thought that was hilarious, it was open to a certain page and I had to read it. I thought it was like a message from God that I had to be a better communicator. A couple days ago I found a pair of handcuffs. I don't know what that was all about but I thought it was hilarious. TVs, refrigerators, it's actually quite comical what you find in the ditch."

He also sees the run as an expression of his own national pride.

"I was born in B.C., raised in High River. My parents still live in the house that I grew up in. I feel that this is a real connection to my country. The people I've seen so far, the smells, the tastes, everything, there's no greater intimacy that I can think of with your country than doing something like this. I can't wait to experience the country firsthand."

He'll be sporting his trademark cowboy hat the entire time.

It's maybe not the first piece of running equipment that comes to mind for most, but Proctor swears by its utility.

"It's a working man's hat, right? Right now, the sun is right above my head and my entire head is shaded. In Newfoundland, it rained on me half the time and it's basically an umbrella. If you're working out in the field, you'd be a fool not to wear a cowboy hat. They were designed not just to look good, but to keep the weather off of you. That's another piece of success out here on the Trans-Canada highway, is managing the things that you can manage. That's something I can manage."

You can track Dave's progress on his Facebook page and through a map view here.