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Dave Proctor arrives in Calgary to a hero’s welcome after 11 days of running

Hundreds greet ultrarunner at Calgary whistlestop on cross-Canada speed record journey

Dave Proctor in Calgary
Photo: Caroline Toppazzini

After 11 straight days on the road, ultrarunner Dave Proctor and his support crew arrived in Calgary yesterday. Proctor is running across Canada with two large goals in mind: to raise over $1 million for the Rare Disease Foundation, and to beat the cross-Canada speed record set by Al Howie in 1991.

RELATED: Dave Proctor’s cross-Canada run starts with hat-dip in Victoria

Proctor, who is from Okotoks, Alberta (south of Calgary), is a highly accomplished and decorated ultrarunner who holds various records in ultrarunning. He was met by a crowd of several hundred people at a local Staples store, who joined him in a 5K as his journey continued eastward. 

Proctor must average 108K per day in order to meet his goal of getting to the east coast in 66 days. (Howie’s run took 72 days.)

Dave Proctor with family in Calgary, July 7, 2018
Proctor with his wife Sharon and children Sam, Julia and Adele. Photo: Boss Digital Media

Proctor’s 9-year-old son, Sam, has a rare disease (RECA–relapsing encephalopathy with cerebellar ataxia) that affects his movement and motor skills. Though rare diseases may affect only a handful of people in the world, there are thousands of such diseases, which means thousands of Canadians are affected, and is why funding for research is so important. It took six years and multiple hospitalizations before the family received a diagnosis.

Dave Proctor gets cooling water during cross-Canada speed trek in 2018
Dave receives some cooling water. Photo: Stephanie Gillis-Paulgaard

RELATED: Canada’s Dave Proctor runs 358K in 48 hours, still going

Readers can follow Dave’s progress on Twitter (@OutrunRare) or Instagram (daveoutrunsrare).

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