Edward Dostaler, also known as Fast Eddy, is a Canadian charity runner who ran solo across Canada and back to raise money for breast cancer and Alzheimer's disease.Theobald, Claire. "Fast Eddy makes Edmonton stop on marathon run", Edmonton Sun, April 9, 2015. Retrieved on April 22, 2015. He was born in Hinton, AlbertaBigrigg, Cynthia. "Fast Eddy takes on Canada", Hinton Parklander, February 26, 2015. Retrieved on April 22, 2015.Waugh, Tyler. "Fast Eddy Dostaler Is Worth Watching", The Hinton Voice, March 26, 2015. Retrieved on April 22, 2015. and currently resides in Kamloops, British Columbia.Hauptman, Todd. "Fast Eddy Embarks Upon Canada Wide Run", KamloopsBCNow, January 14, 2015. Retrieved on April 22, 2015.
"Fast Eddy" solo cross Canada and back run
Dostaler embarked on his solo 21,585 kilometre "across Canada and back" run on March 1, 2015 in Victoria BC.Petruk, Tim. "‘Fast Eddy’ takes off Sunday", Kamloops This Week, February 26, 2015. Retrieved on April 22, 2015. He ran alone, pushing his supplies in a jogging stroller which he named "Aurora."Harland, Juli. "The countdown is on for ‘Fast’ Eddy Dostaler’s cross-Canada run", Camrose Canadian, March 25, 2015. Retrieved on April 22, 2015. The money raised for the two causes — breast cancer and Alzheimer's disease — stays in the province that it was raised in.Fawcett, Erin. "Man running across Canada coming through City next week" , Red Deer Express, April 8, 2015. Retrieved on April 22, 2015.
In August 2015, it was reported that Dostaler was running low on funds and resorted to flying back home.Brothen, Glynn "Kamloops man may cancel return trip on cross-canada run", Infotel.ca, August 25, 2015. Retrieved on September 26, 2015.Williams, Adam "Fast Eddy runs low on cash; journey in jeopardy" , Clearwater Times, August 28, 2015. Retrieved on September 26, 2015.Peters, James "'Fast Eddy' Not Giving Up: Dostaler determined to finish what he started." , CFJC-TV, August 29, 2015. Retrieved on September 26, 2015.
On September 19, 2015, Dostaler realized that the Marine Atlantic ferry from Sydney, Nova Scotia to Argentia, Newfoundland, which was about 420 km away at the time, would be closing for the winter in five days.Brothen, Glynn "Kamloops man pushing hard in last leg of run across Canada", Infotel.ca, September 22, 2015. Retrieved on September 26, 2015. Missing this ferry would mean that he would have to extend the run by roughly 911 km. This would also cause him to run through Atlantic Canada during the harsh winter months. He managed to run an average of about 69 km per day for five days to make it to the ferry, arriving just two hours before the last departure.Foroozan, Tahirih. "Fast Eddy Lives up to His Name During Cross Country Run", KamloopsBCNow, September 25, 2015. Retrieved on September 26, 2015. September 20, 2015, Dostaler ran across Confederation Bridge which links the provinces of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, becoming the first person to include this bridge as part of a cross Canada run.Stewart, Dave. "Fast Eddy runs across bridge as he goes coast to coast, and back", KamloopsBCNow, September 23, 2015. Retrieved on September 26, 2015. His run across the bridge was part of Canada's largest Terry Fox Run, commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Marathon of Hope. The story of Terry Fox was one of Dostaler's main inspirations.FriendlyJoel. "Fast Eddy runs across bridge as he goes coast to coast, and back" , FriendlyFred.ca, September 11, 2015. Retrieved on September 26, 2015.
24 hour runs
During his cross Canada and back run, Dostaler stopped in each province to do a 24-hour running event to gain awareness and support. These events took place in Calgary, Alberta on April 18, 2015;Paine, Noel "Fast Eddy - running across Canada, twice", Canadian Running, April 23, 2015. Retrieved on April 27, 2015. in Regina, Saskatchewan on May 9, 2015;Tushabe, Iryn "Chasing dreams on foot" , Moose Jaw Times-Herald, April 24, 2015. Retrieved on April 28, 2015.Williams, Adam "Fast Eddy’s journey filled with hurdles", Kamloops This Week, May 6, 2015. Retrieved on May 9, 2015.Gourde, Francis "Fast Eddy: Le Canada aller-retour à la course", l'eau vive, May 3, 2015. Retrieved on May 9, 2015.Kreutzwieser, Paige "Fast Eddy running through Regina", Leader-Post, May 8, 2015. Retrieved on May 12, 2015. and in Winnipeg, Manitoba on May 23, 2015.
References
External links FastEddyCanada.com Fast Eddy Facebook page