For most people, 500 kilometres is a distance measured in road trips. For Austin Winters, it is a week of blisters, aching muscles and relentless forward motion, all in the hope of helping families facing cancer. The Victoria runner is making his way from Port Hardy to Victoria over seven days, raising money for cancer research through the Canadian Cancer Society. He set out Monday and hopes to finish in Victoria on Sunday. But the distance is only part of what is driving him. Winters is running in memory of his grandfather, John Wheaton, and his best friend’s mother, Michelle Huntley, who both battled cancer and have since died. He is also thinking of other family members and friends whose lives have been touched by the disease. “Cancer is near and dear to my heart,” Winters said. By the fourth day, Winters had covered about 247 kilometres. He says getting out of bed has been one of the toughest parts of each day, but his body gradually settles into the work. “Every morning, definitely sore to wake up,” he said. “But once the body gets moving and the engine oil kind of starts kicking in, we feel a lot better.” The physical strain is significant, but Winters says keeping the reason for the run in mind helps him push through it. “For myself, I’m basically going to be dealing with a week of pain and discomfort, whereas a lot of my family members have gone years with pain and discomfort,” he said. That perspective has helped him keep putting one foot in front of the other. “If I can kind of put my body on the line for one week, then I just feel like I want to walk the walk,” Winters said. His wife, Victoria, has been with him throughout the challenge, helping with logistics and meeting him at planned stops along the route. Winters says the kindness he has encountered along the way has made the demanding journey feel a little less solitary. “To see the love and support it’s gotten so far from people on the side of the road, hotels, friends and family back home, it’s been amazing,” he said. Winters set a goal of raising $10,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. By the fourth day of the run, he said the fundraiser had climbed to about $7,200. For him, the campaign is about more than reaching a number. It is an attempt to turn the loss of people he loves into something that could help others. “Everyone is affected by it in some way,” Winters said. “So this was kind of my way of trying to raise money and help the cause.” People are invited to join Winters for the final stretch of his journey on Sunday, Aug. 23, to cheer him on as he arrives in Victoria at Mile 0 on Dallas Road. For seven days, every kilometre has carried the memory of people Austin Winters has lost and the hope of helping people he will never meet. When he finally reaches Victoria, the run will be over, but the reason he started it will remain.
