Dave Proctor says he will be running from coast to coast starting next month to raise awareness about rare diseases in Canada. He will be passing through Kamloops on June 30.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Dan Proctor
May 11, 2018 - 4:00 PM
KAMLOOPS - It’s going to take 15 pairs of sneakers to run across the country to help raise awareness about rare diseases in Canada.
Dave Proctor, an Alberta cross-country jogger plans to run from coast to coast starting next month. The journey is expected to take 66 days with Proctor making stops in major cities to spread the word and raise funds for research towards rare diseases.
Proctor whose 9-year-old son Sam is suffering from a rare disease started the Outrun Rare Fun Run. The father of three says it took six years to receive a diagnosis for the disorder that affects his son's movement and balance coordination.
Proctor says he’s taken on an advocacy approach for people like his son and others suffering from rare diseases.
“Sam struggles... it took us over six years to get a diagnosis,” Proctor says. “Canada is the only developed country that doesn’t have a rare disease strategy because it can’t get funded.”
Proctor says some people might hear the word rare and argue there isn’t a demand for funds for research if a lot of people aren’t affected. But he says there are more people affected by rare diseases than some might realize.
“1 in 12 Canadians are affected by a rare disease, and there are 8,000 rare diseases known,” Proctor says.
Proctor says he plans to raise more than $1 million for rare disease research with next month’s run. He says he wants to help not just his son, but people everywhere suffering with a rare disease that might not have answers.
“The only way to support (people with rare diseases) is through acknowledgment,” Proctor says.
The father of three holds several national records for long-distance running. He says it’s his best skill set and is using it to his advantage to help people.
“I’m not a very good looking man, but I can run,” he says. “I don’t know why it’s my skill set, but I am good at it.”
Proctor will leave Victoria, B.C. on June 27 and finish in St. John’s, N.L. on August 31. He plans to run an average of 108 kilometres a day. The day he will be passing through Kamloops will be a short day, at 95 kilometres of running. Proctor says his longest day will be from Ottawa to Montreal which will be 150 kilometres of running. The total run from the west coast to the east coast will be 7,200 kilometres.
“I’ll have my family, friends, and parents with me to look after me,” he says, adding that he will go through roughly 15 pairs of sneakers and have to eat 10,000 calories worth of food a day to maintain a healthy weight.
Proctor will pass through Kamloops on June 30 and the event for the run will take place at the Tournament Capital Centre.
“Kamloops will be day four of the run, so come out and run with me,” he says. “I just can’t give you a ride back."
Proctor plans to run with the Prime Minister when he is in Ottawa as well as each premier and mayor of the cities he passes through.
For more information on how to donate or get involved click here.
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