Photo: Contributed - fasteddycanada.com 'Fast Eddy' in Kelowna on March 16, 2015

A Kamloops man has been running for over six months and he has no plans of slowing down.

Edward Dostaler, or Fast Eddy, left Victoria on March 1, 2015, and arrived in St. John’s, N.L. on Sept. 30.

He has run over 10,000 kilometres completely solo, with no support car. He is pushing a jogging stroller the whole way, stuffed full of camping supplies, clothes, and even some rocks.

“Mementos,” he explained with a laugh.

Dostaler is running for two causes. He is raising money for Alzheimer’s disease and breast cancer research, through his website, fasteddycanada.com.

His grandmother was diagnosed with Alzeihmer’s shortly before Dostaler began his run. He then learned that an old professor of his, a mentor, had passed away. He was a big advocate for breast cancer awareness, so Dostaler decided to combine the two causes for his run.

“(I wanted to) do something that he wanted to do, he’s always wanted to do something for breast cancer,” Dostaler said. “Run there and back, do something no one else has done, do it solo and unsupported, do anything possible to make sure you’re giving 110 per cent to the causes.”

He said he was inspired by Terry Fox and Rick Hansen, back when he wrote a research paper on them in high school. Now 27, he is living out a goal that first took shape back then.

Dostaler said he has raised $10,000 so far, but is hoping the fundraising will increase on his trip home, now that people may take him more seriously.

“I left with very little funding for this,” he said. “Not a lot of people took it seriously.”

Dostaler said this may be because he really wasn’t much of a long-distance runner before he set off, and he doesn’t even really like running.

“I hate running,” he said bluntly. “Obviously I’m growing to like it, you kind of have to every day.”

Despite his distaste for the activity, he has been running almost every day, the longest one day trek being 160 km.

“At the end of the day, I don’t think anyone’s questioning the heart that’s behind it.”

He said he only knows of six people who have run one way across Canada, solo and unsupported. Dostaler made it to Newfoundland with the second best time of the six. He said no one has ever made the return trip before.

Throughout the trip, he said he has run into plenty of wildlife, including a 60 km stretch where he saw nine bears.

On one day, a car hit his running stroller while he was running on the highway, but he managed to jump out of the way before being hit himself.

He plans on making it back to Victoria by June, putting him in line to run through some nasty winter conditions – but, he isn’t too concerned.

“It’ll be a learning experience,” he said. “Best way to learn how to swim is to jump in a pool, the best way to deal with the cold is to be in the cold.”

He said he has a - 40 C sleeping bag, and plenty of layers of clothes to deal with frigid conditions.

Regardless of the challenges he has faced and will face, Dostaler said he is going to make it the whole way.

“I gave my word so I’m going for it.”