Gary Price of London, Ont., laced up his runners and started walking on April 1, 2001. He’s been walking every day since, rain or shine. But now, after 8,766 consecutive days, the 75-year-old has ended his walking streak on his own terms.
“Twenty-four years ago, I saw a good friend of mine who had suffered a heart attack at the age of 51. He was in hospital and he was in pretty rough shape, and I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, if it can happen to him, it can happen to me,'” said Price.
While his friend survived the heart attack, it spurred Price to find a way to get active.
“I felt that I should start looking for some form of exercise to keep me healthy, and I think we would all agree that the very best form of exercise is the exercise that you actually do,” he said.
Price said he remembered walking with John Davidson as he trained for Jesse’s journey back in the 1990s and quite enjoyed it. So, he laced up his shoes and left his house for a 40-minute stroll on Sunday, April 1, 2001, which he repeated the next day — and the next — until today.
Price’s walks have taken him around the world, from the Great Wall of China to the Pyramids of Giza and the base of Mount Rushmore. He’s walked in every province and territory in Canada, 20 U.S. states, and 12 countries. He even met a black bear on one of his walks that was kind enough to leave him alone.
On Sunday, Price was joined by friends and family at Westmount Mall to celebrate his 24-year milestone.
“It’s become part of our lives,” said Diane Price, Gary’s wife. “Everybody knows about the walk. It’s Gary’s walk.”
The decision to end his walking streak after 24 years comes as he feels it’s time to let go of it.
“As you get a little bit older, you have a little less energy, and so I was 51 when I started this, and I’m now 75,” said Price. “I’ve decided to transform from the daily commitment to walking to a daily choice. I will take Tuesday off completely to bring the streak to a full stop. And then after that, so on Wednesday and in subsequent days, it will be my choice if I go out and walk or not.”
Price admits he’ll likely be out for a walk again on Thursday and hopes his passion for staying active will inspire others to get out and do the same.
