TRU Alumnus and local hero embarks on run across Canada
By Ryan Turcot
This year, TRU alumnus Edward “Fast Eddy” Dostaler plans to follow in the footsteps of his two childhood heroes, Rick Hansen and Terry Fox.
Literally.
Dostaler is already a few weeks into his own run across Canada and back, and he plans to go the whole way on his own, armed only with whatever supplies he can fit into a jogging stroller.
He hopes the 21,858 kilometer trek will raise awareness and at least $250,000 for two causes he is personally passionate about: curing Alzheimer’s and curing breast cancer.
In the run’s early stages, Dolaster thought his run would be over when he reached Newfoundland. At the time, it was focused on supporting the Alzheimer’s Foundation because, he says, it didn’t affect him. He wanted to run for a cause that was outside himself, to help others, but in a way he could never understand.
Then his grandmother was diagnosed with the disease, and the run had a personal lift.
The decision to make the second part of his journey a fight for breast cancer came through a close bond with his university mentor. “I went to go and tell a professor of mine, Dr. Tom Owen [about the run],” says Dostaler, “then found out he passed away. He died of lung cancer.” The run wouldn’t be news to the professor; however, they had discussed the idea of doing great things for research before.
“He told me that if I was ever going to do anything big, to do it for breast cancer,” says Dostaler, noting that the foundation was making great strides. “So I planned out my run and doubled it up and made sure it would go just under a year.”
As Dolaster makes his way across the province, he will be stopping in each province and hosting 24-hour runs. These runs will help raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and breast cancer while also giving each and every Canadian the chance to run alongside Fast Eddy and be a physical part of change.
Dolaster is scheduled run through Kamloops the weekend of March 21, 2015.
TRU Alumni & Friends is hosting a send off for Fast Eddy at the TCC Track at 8:00am Saturday, March 21, 2015. There will be FREE coffee and snacks. Come run Dostaler’s first 1km of the day and help show your support for the Alzheimer and Breast Cancer foundations and support the Kamloop’s native in his long journey across Canada.
