Arthur "Al" Howie (September 16, 1945 – June 21, 2016) was a Canadian long-distance runner who won more than fifty marathons, ultramarathons, and

multiday races Multiday races are ultramarathon running events which are typically either segmented into daily events of a specified distance or time, or staged so that runners can run as far as they want, at their own discretion, over a set course or over a set ...

in over two decades, including the 1991

Trans Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway ( French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean o ...

run (7295 kilometers) in the record time of 72 days and 10 hours. A brass plaque on Victoria's

Mile Zero In many countries, kilometre zero (also written ''km 0'') or similar terms in other languages (also known as zero mile marker, zero milepost, control stations or control points) denote a particular location (usually in the nation's capital cit ...

marker commemorates this athletic event for which he raised $750,000 for a fund for children with special needs. Two weeks after running across Canada he won the

Sri Chinmoy Chinmoy Kumar Ghose (27 August 1931 – 11 October 2007), better known as Sri Chinmoy, was an Indian spiritual leader who taught meditation in the West after moving to New York City in 1964.world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

time. Both the Trans Canada run and the race qualified for the '' Guinness Book of Records''. He lived in Duncan, B.C., from 2005 until his death in 2016. He had been receiving treatment for Diabetes I. The City of Duncan awarded him the Perpetual Trophy for Excellence and Sportsmanship in December 2007, and in 2014 he was inducted into The Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.

Biography

The Early Years

Arthur "Al" Howie was born in 1945 in Saltcoats, Ayrshire a town near Glasgow, Scotland. He attended the local schools and completed his

secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...

. He married an American living in Britain and a son Gabe was born in 1968. After his divorce, Howie immigrated to Canada with his son and settled in Toronto. A daughter, Dana, was born in 1976. He

quit smoking Smoking cessation, usually called quitting smoking or stopping smoking, is the process of discontinuing tobacco smoking. Tobacco smoke contains nicotine, which is addictive and can cause dependence. As a result, nicotine withdrawal often make ...

in January 1974 and started running as a hobby "to get rid of the aggravation from quitting a three-pack-a-day smoking habit." Howie moved to Victoria, B. C. in 1978 and began training for the long runs, including training runs between cities. He married Claudia Cole in 1986; they separated in 2000. He lived in Duncan, B. C., since 2005, where he received treatment for Diabetes I. Al Howie - Slave Lake Marathon 1982

The "Prince George to Boston" Marathon: 1979

The 1979 Prince George marathon will go down in sports history as the race that brought together three of Canada's unknown athletes for their inaugural marathon: Al Howie,

Rick Hansen Richard Marvin Hansen (born August 26, 1957) is a Canadian track and field athlete (Paralympic Games), activist, and philanthropist for people with disabilities. Following a pickup truck crash at the age of 15, Hansen sustained a spinal cord ...

and

Terry Fox Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958 June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated due to cancer, he embarked on an east-to-west cross-Canada run to raise money ...

. Howie had run from Victoria to Prince George to be in the race that promised the winner an all-expense-paid trip to the Boston Marathon. At the race, Rick Hansen easily rolled his wheelchair across the finish line ahead of all competitors. Al Howie placed third in his first run. And amputee Terry Fox was the last to finish the race only ten minutes behind the last two-legged runner encouraged by spontaneous applause from the watching crowd. Howie was inspired by Fox's announcement to run across Canada in aid of

cancer research Cancer research is research into cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. Cancer research ranges from epidemiology, molecular bioscience to the performance of clinical trials to evaluate and ...

. "Fox unleashed a tremendous wave of energy and eagerness to excel, seldom seen in Canada on a personal level," noted Howie.

From Marathons to Ultramarathons to Multiday Races: 1980-1988

Howie began to train obsessively for longer and longer runs. He won his

age group Demographic profiling is a form of demographic analysis used by marketers so that they may be as efficient as possible with advertising products or services and identifying any possible gaps in their marketing strategy. Demographic profiling can e ...

in his first full-length () marathon in 1980 in Edmonton. He then ran 806 miles (1,297 kilometers) from Edmonton to Victoria to enter the first annual Royal Victoria Marathon in which he placed fourteenth overall. Howie had shipped his gear from point to point on buses and run to his destination. In May, 1981, Howie set the Canadian and North American record for the annual Self-Transcendence 24 Hour Race in Ottawa, and the following year improved on his distance by covering 150 miles and 395 yards in that continuous day and night (no sleeping) race. He won the annual 24-hour race in Ottawa five years in a row, in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985. In 1983, he ran from Winnipeg to Ottawa prior to participating in the 24-hour event. In 1986 while he was recuperating from a bout with cancer, he ran his worst 24-hour ultra in which he covered about 100 kilometers. He was back in top form for the 1987 Canadian 24-hour Championship in Ottawa, winning the event for the sixth time. A cancerous brain tumour behind his ear appeared in the summer of 1985 forcing temporary withdrawal from all races. Adopting a

macrobiotic diet A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics) is a fad diet based on ideas about types of food drawn from Zen Buddhism. The diet tries to balance the supposed yin and yang elements of food and cookware. Major principles of macrobiotic diets are to reduce ...

, Howie had recovered sufficiently by spring of the following year to run 1200 kilometers from Victoria to Fernie in southern B.C. where some of his treatment had taken place. In 1987 he broke the record for the longest, continual run, completing 360 miles (580 kilometers) in 1422 laps around the University of Victoria's Centennial Stadium in 104.5 hours. That's four non-stop days and nights to promote the forthcoming

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

.Beasley, Jared. "In Search of Al Howie". Rocky Mountain Books. 2019. In 1988, he set a record in the

Land's End to John o' Groats Land's End to John o' Groats is the traversal of the whole length of the island of Great Britain between two extremities, in the southwest and northeast. The traditional distance by road is and takes most cyclists 10 to 14 days; the record ...

, running the length of Britain in 11 days. A few months later, he ran from England through France to the island of Sardinia in Italy where he participated in the final running of the Super-Marathon Nuraghe.

The Peak Years: 1989 to 1991

The 'Ultra Trio' was born in 1987—a set of three ultra races of 700, 1000 and 1,300 miles. (

" race in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

, which doubles as the last ultra of one year and the first of the next, running from December 29, 1989, to New Year's Day, 1990. Across the Years Howie's longest and most famous run was in the summer of 1991 when he ran the entire length of the Trans Canada Highway from the Mile Zero sign in St. John's, Nfld, to Mile Zero in Victoria, B.C. covering the 7295.5 km in the record time of 72 days, 10 hours and 23 minutes. A brass plaque at Victoria's Mile Zero commemorates the event, and qualified him for

the Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

. He had raised $750,000 for the Elks and Royal Purple Fund for children with special needs. Two weeks after his Trans Canada run, Howie was back in New York where he improved his own record time for the , completing the distance in 16 days and 19 hours, and earning him his second entry that summer in the Guinness Book of Records. His

Battling Injuries and illness: 1985, 1992 – 1999

Brain tumour

Howie's first solo attempt to cross Canada was in the summer of 1985. The route was from West to East via Prince Rupert and the

Yellowhead Highway The Yellowhead Highway (french: Route Yellowhead) is a major interprovincial highway in Western Canada that runs from Winnipeg to Graham Island off the coast of British Columbia via Saskatoon and Edmonton. It stretches across the four western ...

to Portage la Prairie, to Ottawa. It was part of Howie's North America running tour "to promote world peace and famine relief." The run was halted dramatically in the

Ottawa Valley The Ottawa Valley is the valley of the Ottawa River, along the boundary between Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais, Quebec, Canada. The valley is the transition between the Saint Lawrence Lowlands and the Canadian Shield. Because of the surroun ...

when a malignant brain tumour appeared behind his right ear, triggering thoughts of dying. "Facing death, I realized the extent of my love for this life; I didn't want to die," he wrote in a medical journal a year later. "Reluctant to submit to prescribed medical treatments of exploratory surgery, excision of the tumour and subsequent chemotherapy," he searched and found alternate treatments, especially "the culinary adventure of

macrobiotics A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics) is a fad diet based on ideas about types of food drawn from Zen Buddhism. The diet tries to balance the supposed yin and yang elements of food and cookware. Major principles of macrobiotic diets are to reduce ...

," a regimen of wholesome foods free of additives and preservatives, and shiatsu massage. As if miraculously, his illness reversed itself within months and he recommenced his training. In gratitude, he ran the 1200 kilometres from Victoria to the White Spruce Farm in Fernie, in southern B. C., where he had received some of his healing instruction and motivation.

Diabetes I

In 1992, the year after crossing Canada from east to west, Howie joined 28 other ultra-runners in a run across the United States. Not wearing proper inserts in his shoes while crossing the hot

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily ...

in Arizona, he developed complications from blisters on his feet, forcing him to withdraw. It was this injury, he believes, that eventually led to the onset of Diabetes I, which, unfortunately, wasn't diagnosed for three years. He competed in the 1300 Miler in New York in 1993 but an inflamed nerve to his left knee forced him to withdraw after six days of running. By the summer of 1995, he had lost 30 lbs, his health was haywire, and "the pissing evil" had struck. "Type 1 diabetes was, until the discovery of insulin, a

death sentence Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

within two years," he wrote later. "Death penalty commuted to life sentence of insulin injections," Howie wrote after starting treatment. "Fighting back to life and health, this time via the more conventional method, the only way to go for insulin dependent diabetics—insulin therapy." He attempted a running comeback in the 1996 Victoria 24-hour run, but could only muster 100 kilometres in the day and night run. Al made a couple of runs for the Victoria chapter of the

Canadian Cancer Society The Canadian Cancer Society (french: Société canadienne du cancer) is Canada's largest national cancer charity and the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada. History The idea to form the Canadian Cancer Society origin ...

in 1996, running the length of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

for them. However, Howie refused to let his illness thwart his rigorous training regimen. "I'm back on the multi-day circuit, Novolin pens and a One Touch meter tossed into my sport bag with running shoes, orthotics and petroleum jelly. As with life generally, I am finding diabetes complicates racing yet accentuates the intrinsic adventure. More significantly my potential for success, even for record breaking in the grueling sport of ultra-marathon racing, is not to be compromised by my diabetic condition. Running toward the horizon of human endurance on synthetic insulin is exploring an uncharted universe. Rather than the runner's wall, hypoglycemia becomes the number one threat to be avoided. Once again I'm a pioneer in the aerobic universe, this time in the diabetic galaxy." (Al Howie on the Come Back Trail, December 1997.) He was back on track again in 1997, winning the Victoria 24-hour race. By 1998 he felt he had regained ultra form and won four out of four ultras entered at distances from to 72 hours. His last race was the ultra 72-hour "

Across the Years Across The Years is a series of timed multi-day ultra-marathons held from December 28 to January 1 each year outside Phoenix, Arizona. It consists of a 24-hour race, a 48-hour race, a 72-hour race and a 6-day race. The 6-day race was reintroduced ...

" event in Phoenix, Arizona, which started on December 29, 1998, and finished three days later on New Year's Day, 1999. Howie won the race. Coping with the disease for a decade and a half proved a formidable challenge. Howie was 46 when he ran across Canada. He resided in a residential and transitional

care facility A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to i ...

Duncan, British Columbia Duncan (pop. 5,047 in 2021) is a city on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is the smallest city by area (2.07 square kilometres, 0.8 square miles) in Canada. It was incorporated in 1912. Location The city is about 45 kilo ...

, where he underwent treatment for diabetes. He died in June 2016.

Honours

The brass plaque on the post of the Trans Canada Highway Mile 0 marker in Victoria's

Beacon Hill Park Beacon Hill Park is a 75 ha (200 acre) park located along the shore of Juan de Fuca Strait in Victoria, British Columbia. The park is popular both with tourists and locals, and contains a number of amenities including woodland and shoreline trail ...

reads:

The Elks and Royal Purple of Canada
Commemorate Al Howie's record setting
"Tomorrow Run 91"
Began at Mile 0 St. John's, Nfld
June 21 and ended September 1, 1991, at
Mile 0 Victoria BC
72 days – 10 hours later.
Our gratitude to all who helped us raise funds
for Canadian children with special needs. Qualified for the Guinness Book of Records for the Trans Canada run and the

Sri Chinmoy Chinmoy Kumar Ghose (27 August 1931 – 11 October 2007), better known as Sri Chinmoy, was an Indian spiritual leader who taught meditation in the West after moving to New York City in 1964. The story of Al Howie was the focus of a sermon by Dr. Eugen Bannerman at Gordon United Church, Langford, on February 19, 2006.
The City of Duncan awarded Howie the Perpetual Trophy for Excellence and Sportsmanship in December 2007.

Running History

Year started: 1974. First "between cities" run: from Victoria to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island, 1978.
First marathon: "Prince George to Boston," 1979.
Best marathon: 2:29:11 Vancouver, May 2, 1982.
Marathons: scores.
First Ultramarathon:

Sri Chinmoy Chinmoy Kumar Ghose (27 August 1931 – 11 October 2007), better known as Sri Chinmoy, was an Indian spiritual leader who taught meditation in the West after moving to New York City in 1964.Sri Chinmoy Chinmoy Kumar Ghose (27 August 1931 – 11 October 2007), better known as Sri Chinmoy, was an Indian spiritual leader who taught meditation in the West after moving to New York City in 1964.Sri Chinmoy Chinmoy Kumar Ghose (27 August 1931 – 11 October 2007), better known as Sri Chinmoy, was an Indian spiritual leader who taught meditation in the West after moving to New York City in 1964.Sri Chinmoy Chinmoy Kumar Ghose (27 August 1931 – 11 October 2007), better known as Sri Chinmoy, was an Indian spiritual leader who taught meditation in the West after moving to New York City in 1964. Average weekly training mileage: 200K.
Peak week: 595 Miles (first week of a multi-day race).
Favourite shoes: Brooks Kona.
Most common injury: Blisters on feet; Diabetes I since 1995.
Average training pace: 14K/hour.
Favourite race drink/food: Water/Power Bars.
Running idols: "I don't idolize anyone but I admire many."
Greatest influence:

Don Ritchie Donald Taylor Ritchie, OAM (9 June 1926 – 13 May 2012) was an Australian who intervened in many suicide attempts. He officially rescued at least 180 people who had intended to attempt suicide at the Gap. Early life Ritchie went to Vaucl ...

, Emil Zatopek, Yiannis Kouros, Hilary Walker.
Favourite place to run:

Personal Bests

Mile 4:44 (1982)
10 Miles 51:52 (1981)
½ Marathon 1:12:28 (1982)
Marathon 2:29:11 (1982)
50K 3:13:49 (1983)
50 Miles 5:35:12 (1983)
100K 7:30:31 (1983)
100 Miles 14:06:18 (1982)
200K 18:51:44 (1982)
24 Hours 150 miles 395 yards (1982)
48 Hours (1992)
72 Hours 272 miles (1991)
6 Days (1991)
1000K 7 days, 18 hours, 49 min, 18 sec (1991)
1000 Miles 12 days, 1 hours, 47 min, (1991)
2000K 15 days, 23 hours (world record, 1991)
1300 Miles 16 days, 19 hours (Guinness record, 1991)
Trans Canada Highway 7295.5 kilometres in 72 days, 10 hours and 23 minutes (Guinness record, 1991)

Multi-Day, Multi-City Runs

Very early in his running career, Howie began running from city to city, partly as long-distance training, partly to save costs (he would put his clothes on the bus, run to the city, change his clothes, put his bags back on the bus, and carry on), often for charities and other purposes. Below is a chronological listing of Howie's multi-day, multi-city runs, with estimated distances (a normal day's run is about 100 km), and supporting charities. October 1978. Ran the length of Vancouver Island from Victoria to Port Hardy (500 km) in support of United Way. April 1979. Ran from Port Hardy to Victoria (500 km), with letter from mayor of Port Hardy in support of UNICEF. August 1979. Training run from Victoria to Prince George (820 km). Placed third in the "Prince George to Boston" marathon. September 1980. Jogged from Edmonton to Victoria (1350 km in 11 days). Placed in top ten in inaugural Royal Victoria Marathon. August 1981. Ran from Kelowna to Courtney on Vancouver Island (750 km) to promote the B.C. games. Arrived to great applause during opening ceremonies. July 1982. Ran from Calgary to Slave Lake, Alberta (470 km); won the Slave Lake Riverboat Daze Marathon; then ran back to Calgary (470 km). August/September/October 1982. Placed third in the Prince George Classic; then ran from Prince George to Victoria (820 km). Won his age group in Royal Victoria marathon. May 1983. Solo run from Winnipeg to Ottawa (2225 km). Won 24-hour race. May 1984. Ran from Toronto to Ottawa (450 km) for the 24-hour Race. December 1984. Ran from Victoria to Port Hardy (500 km) for Times Colonist 1000 Fund. February 1985. Ran the Trans Canada Highway, Yellowhead route via Prince Rupert and Edmonton to Ottawa (4740 km). Race interrupted by appearance of brain tumour. April 1986. Ran from Victoria to White Spruce Farm in Fernie (1000 km). September 1987. Ran from Victoria to Port Hardy to Massett in the Queen Charlottes (870 km), with letter from Victoria Mayor in support of United Way. June/July 1988. Ran the length of Britain (1400 km in 11 days). September 1988. Ran from England through France to Sardinia in Italy (1500 km) to enter an ultramarathon. 1989 & 1990. No between cities runs. June to September 1991. Ran the Trans Canada Highway from Mile Zero in St. John's, NL, to Victoria, BC (7295.5 km in 72 days and 10 hours). Raised $750,000 for Elks and Royal Purple of Canada for their Purple Cross Fund for children with special needs. June 1992. Trans-American Footrace from Huntington Beach, CA, to New York, NY. Severe blisters forced Howie to drop out in Las Vegas (370 km). December 1992. Ran from Victoria to Sacramento (1190 km) for the Helen Klein 6-day race. 1993 & 1994 & 1995. No between cities runs. October 1996. Ran length of Vancouver Island to Port Hardy (500 km) for Canadian Diabetic Association. Stopped running due to insulin treatments for Type I diabetes.

References

*Blaikie, David. "Al Howie" ''Ultramarathon Canada'', September/October 1991. *Blaikie, David. "Prairie Inn Harriers Profile – Al Howie" ''PIH'', August 1991. *Crockford, Ross. "Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" ''Monday Publications'', Oct 3, 2007. Unknown Victoria: Loneliness of The Long-Distance Runner unknownvictoria.blogspot.com/ ... /loneliness-of-long-distance-runner ... 3 Oct 2007 *Howie, Al. "Al Howie on the comeback trail." ''PIH'', December 1997. *Howie, Al. "An ultrarunner looks at his health." ''Ultramarathon World''. January 1, 1999. *Howie, Al. "I didn't want to die." ''Options: Journal of Complementary Medicine.'' Spring 1986. *Rothbauer, Kevin. "Al Howie still has plenty in the tank" ''The Citizen'' (Duncan, B.C.). December 26, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Howie, Al 1945 births 2016 deaths People from Saltcoats Canadian male marathon runners Canadian ultramarathon runners Male ultramarathon runners Scottish emigrants to Canada Sportspeople from North Ayrshire Sportspeople from British Columbia