WARNING: This article contains content which may be distressing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.<\/p>\n
If you feel like you are in crisis or are considering suicide, please call the Crisis Centre BC suicide hotline at 1-800-784-2433.<\/p>\n
Other resources include: Canada Suicide Prevention Service at Toll free: 1-833-456-4566, the Crisis Line at 310-6789 or 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433): For suicide prevention and intervention.You can also text 45645 or visit the online chat service at crisisservicescanada.ca.<\/p>\n
Carter Armstrong orders all five meat tacos on the menu at Cantina Del Centro.<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old from Dryden, Ont., is taking a break in Revelstoke until Saturday, May 2, on his more than 50-day jog along the Trans-Canada Highway between the West Coast and Eastern Canada.<\/p>\n
Fundraising a goal of $100,000 for the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Armstrong is already three weeks into his multi-province marathon that started April 10, off the weedy shores of the Fraser River south of Vancouver International Airport. His final destination is Dryden, and he hopes to be pulling into Grand Trunk Avenue by mid-June.<\/p>\n
Mental health struggles have impacted various people in his family. His older brother attempted suicide, his uncle took his own life, and two years ago, Armstrong\u2019s good friend Taylor Carrier did the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a shock,\u201d he told Black Press Media at Cantina on Thursday, April 30, recounting going to work with Carrier at a mine in the Yukon. \u201cThe funniest guy you would ever meet \u2014 would give you his shirt off his back.\u201d<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s not just those close to Armstrong who battled mental health; the Ontario runner tried to take his own life at age 11, and attempted again this winter. However, he said that\u2019s when a switch flipped in his mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust realized I had so much more to give,\u201d he reflected. \u201cI had the thought, \u2018I need to help somebody who\u2019s in the same position.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
READ: B.C. kayaker excited to spotlight Columbia River in 3-week charity paddle<\/a><\/p>\n Though very sporty and a casual runner, Armstrong had only run one (unofficial) marathon before embarking on his on-foot fundraiser across Canada this spring. He recalled stepping out into a frigid -20 C back in Dryden one day with the urge to start running, even though he hadn\u2019t trained much.<\/p>\n After his latest bout with suicide two or three months ago, Armstrong quickly resolved to organize a fundraiser run by himself. He initially considered just sticking to Ontario, but baffled his parents with the prospect of running 3,000 kilometres from B.C.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were like, \u2018When is this going to happen?\u2019 I was like, \u2018Next month.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n To train for a marathon a day, he spent February and March running 70 km weekly with a weighted vest, which added about 20 pounds. Since his plan was to go solo, without any support or personal vehicle, Armstrong needed to prepare to haul his gear.<\/p>\n Often camping off the highway, he carries a coffin-sized tent, sleeping bag, inflatable mattress (after growing tired of lying on bare ground) and hiking poles for steeper descents that he\u2019ll ditch after the Rockies. He\u2019s also lugging food and between 6.5 and seven litres of water he refills daily, including from streams and, once, a murky goose pond.<\/p>\n He eats hourly during his runs and estimates he should be consuming 7,000 calories per day. His favourite grub is \u201cnerd clusters\u201d: Dried fruit, beef jerky and peanut butter.<\/p>\n By this point in the journey, \u201cI\u2019m so sick of protein bars,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n As far as Armstrong knows, he\u2019s the first person to try running from B.C. to Ontario with just a backpack and no support crew.<\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t been training for two years,\u201d he emphasized. \u201cI just want to make some change. I\u2019m just a regular person.\u201d<\/p>\n READ: Canadian military won\u2019t renew 65-year Rogers Pass avalanche control agreement<\/a><\/p>\n Armstrong considered running different routes through B.C., including farther north toward Jasper and Edmonton, Alta., but settled on the country-connecting Highway 1. He sticks to the left side of the road to stay vigilant about the thousands of vehicles zooming by.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had some close calls,\u201d he described, though many drivers have thought him a hitchhiker and stopped to offer rides. \u201cI\u2019m more worried about a bear mauling me.\u201d<\/p>\n Armstrong arrived in Revelstoke from Sicamous around 5 p.m. Thursday, April 30, and is staying in town Friday to recharge while looking ahead to crossing Rogers Pass this Saturday. He\u2019s only taken a couple of rest days so far, but mentally preparing for the slow and exhausting elevation gain through the Selkirk Mountains of roughly 800 metres, before a steep and prolonged descent toward Golden.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be the hardest stretch,\u201d he anticipated. \u201cIt makes or breaks you, but I don\u2019t break. I think there\u2019s beauty in pain and suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n Separating himself from the physical pain of running 40 to 50 km daily on concrete and asphalt has proven key. Acknowledging that pain and listening to your body during this kind of endeavour is important, Armstrong said, but dwelling on it does no good. U.S. athlete and motivational speaker David Goggins is someone, he said, who exemplifies this best mindset.<\/p>\n When Armstrong left the shores of Vancouver on April 10, no one nearby had a clue what he was attempting. Twenty days later, countless people had reached out in person or on social media to offer support where they could.<\/p>\n His childhood Dryden buddy, Micah Pilipishen of Micah\u2019s Plumbing, Heating & Cooling in Nelson, covered Armstrong\u2019s tab at Cantina in Revelstoke. Someone else paid for him to spend two nights at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, and a Shuswap woman drove his burdensome bag ahead and baked him banana bread.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really restored my faith in humanity, if I can be completely honest,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019re (running across Canada), you should never feel alone. My journey, it just shows that people will always reach out.\u201d<\/p>\n READ: Revelstoke memory caf\u00e9 shows whole community can support dementia care<\/a><\/p>\n His GoFundMe for CMHA had reached $11,300 by Friday. His intent by supporting the national organization is not only to raise awareness for and counter stigma around mental health, but also to reduce wait times for Canadians seeking counselling.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the time, people reach out once, and if they don\u2019t hear back right away, it\u2019s too late,\u201d he said. \u201cCounselling should be more accessible. Faster to get.\u201d<\/p>\n Armstrong remembers previously passing through Revelstoke on a road trip with his parents when he was 11, and hopes to eventually move out to B.C.<\/p>\n Thinking about what\u2019s next after his run to Dryden, \u201cI don\u2019t want to go back to mining,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to pursue something that will continue to help people.\u201d<\/p>\n To donate to Armstrong\u2019s fundraiser, visit gofundme.com\/f\/mental-health-awareness-and-education-run<\/a>. Daily updates on his run are posted to Facebook at facebook.com\/carter.armstrong.111005<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WARNING: This article contains content which may be distressing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised. 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