Fast Eddy blasts through town

Shannon LeClair
Times Reporter

 

Eddy Dostaler, known as ‘Fast Eddy’, ran through town on April 23, on the first part of his solo and unsupported round trip running trek across Canada.
Dostaler, 26, started his run on March 1. His ‘There and Back’ run began in Victoria, B.C. and will run to Conception Harbour, N.L., before turning around and heading back to B.C. Manned with only what’s essentially a jogging stroller, he filled it with everything he needs.
“No one to date has ever completed there and back,” said Dostaler. “On average it takes someone 7,300 km to get across Canada. It can take a little bit under, but that’s the average. It’s taking me just one way around 10,000 kilometres.”
The idea began when he did a research paper on Terry Fox when he was 15. He found Fox’s run to be such a selfless act that it resonated with him and he decided one day run across Canada for Alzheimer’s.
“I picked Alzheimer’s right then and there because it not only affects the person being diagnosed, but it really hard-hits the family,” said Dostaler.
As with many people, life began to become busier and his lofty goal moved to the backburner. It was when his grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s two years ago that he knew it was time to hit the pavement. He called the Alzheimer’s Society and told them he would run one way for them, and jumped in with two feet.
Three months into the planning he went to tell one of his professors about it and found out the professor had passed away. The professor had always told Dostaler that one day he should do something for breast cancer research and awareness.
With a new plan Dostaler changed the scope of his run and changed from being supported on the run, to heading out solo. He is now running for both causes.
Fundraising hasn’t been as good as he had hoped, but being a man of his word, he set out on March 1.
“The biggest hazard I have is people texting and driving. They just don’t pay attention,” said Dostaler.
Someone reading and responding to even a quick text, driving at 400 to 600 metres and 100 km an hour, could drive past and not even notice him.
“If you have your wheel turned slightly to the right, you’re going to hit me and I can’t really get out of the way.”
Something that does encourage him on his daily runs is when people honk as they drive by.
“A honk can go a long, long way. It definitely does make your day. The more and more people who stop, the more cheerful I am. It makes someone’s day to have someone notice what you’re doing and you’re not doing it in vain,” said Dostaler.
There are days that are tough, but he has never wanted to quit, stating that every time he gets tired, and maybe a little discouraged, he remembers why he is running.
“Why? One in nine women are affected with breast cancer. One in three people know someone with Alzheimer’s. This has worked in the past and it has created huge foundations, where it’s in 47 different countries for the Terry Fox run,” said Dostaler.
“You may not personally be living with the illnesses, but that’s what kind of makes you a little bit different in that sense. It’s a selfless act in the sense that there’s no real personal gain for me.
“A random act of kindness can create an endless ripple. I would much rather do something with my life than sit idly by wishing something had been done. If you’re waiting for that perfect time, that perfect moment, it’s never going to happen. You have to sit there and you have to create that perfect time that perfect moment and build on it.”
In addition to running through each province, zigzagging along the way to hit major cities, Dostaler will also be hosting 10, 24-hour-long runs in each province to raise awareness. To find out how he is doing, where he is, or to donate go to http://www.fasteddycanada.com.