A Tribute to Al Howie

September 1, 2011, marked the 20th anniversary of one of the most incredible feats ever accomplished by a Victoria resident: Al Howie’s “Tomorrow Run '91”, the fastest-ever run across Canada, which he completed in 72 days – at a pace of 103 kilometres, or two-and-a-half marathons, every day.

As I wrote in 2007 (previous post here), Al has been living bravely with the effects of Type 1 diabetes. So to cheer him up, friends and family presented Al with a plaque commemorating the anniversary, and a framed proclamation by the City of Victoria, making September 1 “Tomorrow Run '91 Day”. Here’s a photo of Al (at right) with Victoria Elks exalted ruler Bill Thompson, and Jeff Abbott, who first proposed the Tomorrow Run, which raised $527,400 for the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for children with special needs.

The Globe and Mail’s Tom Hawthorn wrote a great profile of Al, which you can read here. And below is a CHEK News item about the anniversary, with lots of footage of Al running in the 1990s:



UPDATE (October 26, 2014): Last night, Al was inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame! Read the Times Colonist story here.

UPDATE (July 21, 2022): Dave Proctor, a 41-year-old massage therapist from Okotoks, Alberta, has just run across Canada in 67 days and 10 hours, beating Al Howie’s 72-day record. Read the Times Colonist story here. Congratulations, Dave!