It took a massage therapist from Okotoks a little over 67 days to run across Canada in 2022.

Which is a full five days faster than the previous record set in 1991.

"I've always been a runner, ever since I was a young kid. I'm now 43," explains Dave Proctor. "I used to run the Terry Fox run at school, and I would typically do well or kind of win those races. Got into track and field when I was in High School. Did quite well in track and field."

But, as he got older, Proctor says that he became mesmerized by the long distances that some runners were able to achieve.

"I didn't even think that would be at all even humanly possible, so I kind of had to try one," says Proctor. "Had my butt handed to me, but I got hooked with betterment, and trying to get better and better at the craft of endurance running. That kind of led me down the path the last, probably, 18 years of running ultra-marathons, continually going a little bit faster or quite a bit further. And that led me to running across Canada."

Proctor got the idea to run across Canada, because he heard about the previous record back in the '90's.

"Early in my career, I heard about this guy back in 1991, his name's Al Howie and he ran across Canada in 72 days, 10 hours, and 24 minutes. which is 100 km a day with no days off across the country. And I thought that was, number one, ridiculous that any human could even possibly do that. But it's amazing that somebody could develop a skillset so strong that they could even consider accomplishing that."

Over the years, Proctor trained to beat Howie's record.

In 2018, he attempted to beat the record, but a back injury he sustained the day before he started running put a stop to that attempt.

After starting in Victoria and heading East in 2018, he only made it to the East side of Winnipeg, due to his back injury.

"I learned a lot of lessons. Fast forward 2022, I was successful, with running 67 days, 10 hours, and 27 minutes. Breaking his record by five days," says Proctor. 

Proctor had to run on average, just under 13 hours and105.3 km a day in order to break that record.

"It's always a game of efficiency and not wasting time and what's most important, is it sleep? Is it eating? Is it body care? Because your body falls apart out there. Yeah, it's a game of efficiency for over two months," Proctor says.

Proctor wrote a book about his journey running across Canada, called Untethered: The Comeback Story of One of The Longest Fastest Runs In History.

"It's about my story running across the country in record time. It kind of jumps to and from my past, 4 years ago, 8 years ago. And it's really, kind of, the day to day, but I kind of pack a lot of Sports Psychology and lessons and a lot of the finite little things that people wouldn't quite know that I do out there, but I do do them," explains Proctor.

It also discusses some of the wildlife encounters he had as well as the various landscapes he witnessed.

The book can be purchased on Amazon.ca, Indigo.ca, or at Momentum Physical Therapy in Okotoks, where Proctor works.

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