Running 100km a day for his son
Dave Proctor wears a warm smile and a cowboy hat. But beneath that hat, and behind that friendly face, is steel. There’s a relentless determination which burns like a furnace, a focus and drive that you’d do best to never doubt.
So it pays to believe him when he says, without flinching: ‘‘I would run to the ends of the Earth for my son, Sam.’’
He would do it for all his kids. But there’s something about Sam.
Proctor is a remarkable Canadian ultramarathon runner, and my co-host Matt Rayment had the chance to chat with him on the Dirt Church Radio podcast this week.
The 39-year-old has three children. Sam, the middle one, suffers from a rare disease called RECA. ‘‘He lacks balance and co-ordination,’’ says Proctor. ‘‘He’s got significant damage to the back part of his brain called the cerebellum.’’
Proctor is determined to do all he can to help support his son, and others like him. So much so, he’s set on attempting one of the toughest cross-country run records in the world: to run across Canada, a distance of 7200 kilometres, in 72 days. Yes, that’s an average of 100km a day.
‘‘If you’re not running, you’re eating; and if you’re not eating, you’re sleeping. And you wash, rinse, and repeat every day.’’
Plenty of people take on big challenges, often to raise money for charity. I admire the grit and bold ambition of people who say, ‘‘I’m going to do this’’ – especially when it is something which is seemingly beyond them.
It’s a supreme expression of the human condition that people are prepared to do these things, often quite lonely, punishing pursuits, for others.
I was interested in what drove someone like Proctor to do it, to put himself through pain, deprive himself of so much, to raise awareness and money in his Outrun Rare campaign.
After taking up running as a 25-year-old, Proctor says he was initially what he would call an average runner.
Then he started noticing people running long distances. ‘‘I saw all these insane runners doing these insane things. And I thought, ‘How on earth is that even humanly possible?’
‘‘But I was so intrigued. And, you know, you desperately wanted to sharpen your knife, to get better.’’
And so he started running longer and longer. And he found he was good at it. He also discovered that it wasn’t just about running.
‘‘I worked on dietary habits, mental strategies
. . . it’s endless when it comes to ultramarathons. Because it’s really a dynamic sport and if one thing falls apart, you’re doomed.’’ Last year, he ran at the Big’s Backyard Ultra, a race in Tennessee where competitors have an hour to complete one 6.67km loop, keeping on going until there’s only one person standing.
The race was notable for the performance of Kiwis Will Hayward and Katie Wright, who, together with Proctor and eventual winner Maggie Guterl, made up the top four.
Proctor ran for 347km, eventually succumbing in the 52nd hour, a feat which showed the nature of his endurance.
He also believes events like that rely on the ability to adapt and be durable, traits which he hopes inspire others, especially at a time like coronavirus.
‘‘You have to keep shifting and adapting, either in races or in life.’’ And it’s also important to acknowledge that things don’t always go right. ‘‘It’s OK to struggle, it’s OK to just get by today and focus on the now, and just take a deep breath and act. Things will be better one day.’’
Taking on trans-Canada next year will be Proctor’s second attempt. He tried before, in 2018, before having to pull out for medical reasons.
So he can’t say he doesn’t know what it’s going to take, and what’s at stake. But there’s that determination, motivated by his son.
‘‘Hey, I’m going to run around 105km every day for 67 days in a row across our country. And I’m going to do this because I would run to the ends of the Earth for my son, Sam.’’
Eugene Bingham and Matt Rayment are hosts of a trail-running podcast Dirt Church Radio. Learn more at dirtchurchradio.com or get in touch via email dirtchurchradio@gmail.com.