London, Ont., man ends 24-year daily walking streak that's taken him around the world

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 01, 2025 12:57 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Gary Price of London, Ont., laced up his runners and started walking connected April 1, 2001. He's been walking each time since, rainfall oregon shine. But now, aft 8,766 consecutive days, the 75-year-old has ended his walking streak connected his ain terms.

"Twenty-four years ago, I saw a bully person of excavation who had suffered a bosom onslaught astatine the property of 51. He was successful hospital and helium was successful beauteous unsmooth shape, and I thought, 'Oh my goodness, if it tin hap to him, it tin hap to me,'" said Price.

While his person survived the bosom attack, it spurred Price to find a mode to get active.

"I felt that I should commencement looking for immoderate signifier of workout to support maine healthy, and I deliberation we would each hold that the precise champion signifier of workout is the workout that you really do," helium said.

Price said helium remembered walking with John Davidson arsenic helium trained for Jesse's journey back successful the 1990s and rather enjoyed it. So, helium laced up his shoes and left his house for a 40-minute stroll connected Sunday, April 1, 2001, which helium repeated the adjacent time — and the adjacent — until today.

LISTEN | Gary Price talks connected London Morning astir his passionateness for walking: 

Price's walks person taken him astir the world, from the Great Wall of China to the Pyramids of Giza and the basal of Mount Rushmore. He's walked successful each state and territory successful Canada, 20 U.S. states, and 12 countries. He even met a achromatic carnivore connected 1 of his walks that was benignant capable to permission him alone.

On Sunday, Price was joined by friends and household astatine Westmount Mall to observe his 24-year milestone.

"It's go portion of our lives," said Diane Price, Gary's wife. "Everybody knows astir the walk. It's Gary's walk."

The determination to extremity his walking streak aft 24 years comes arsenic helium feels it's clip to fto spell of it.

"As you get a small spot older, you person a small little energy, and truthful I was 51 erstwhile I started this, and I'm present 75," said Price. "I've decided to alteration from the regular committedness to walking to a regular choice. I volition instrumentality Tuesday disconnected wholly to bring the streak to a afloat stop. And past aft that, truthful connected Wednesday and successful consequent days, it volition beryllium my prime if I spell retired and locomotion oregon not."

Price admits he'll apt beryllium retired for a locomotion again connected Thursday and hopes his passionateness for staying progressive volition animate others to get retired and bash the same.