The Gwich'in runner known as 'Caribou Legs' was about 100 kilometres north of Calgary, when the Alberta RCMP stopped him.

Brad Firth, who was given the name by a family member, has been running from Vancouver to St. John's since May to raise awareness for murdered and missing aboriginal women.

Police received reports "that there was crazy Indian running along the highway waving a gun," Caribou Legs said in an interview on CBC Radio's Radio Active.

In a video he posted to Facebook, the RCMP officer can be heard explaining that a driver called in to say there was someone "with make-up on their face and looked like they had a gun in their hand."

He wasn't charged by police.



Caribou Legs has been running in traditional regalia, complete with a hand drum, to bring attention to the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women. Along the way he has been giving talks to youth about the importance of consent.

The issue is a very personal one for Firth as his sister died last summer. This is his fifth run across the country and will be his longest run to date.

Running from the police

Caribou Legs has had run-ins with the police in the past, but he was surprised to be stopped this time.

Brad Firth was dubbed 'Caribou Legs' by a family member after he started long distance running. (supplied/Caribou Legs) Last summer, he ran from and Vancouver to Ottawa to help raise funds and plead with politicians to protect Yukon's Peel Watershed. He was stopped several times by authorities in Ontario while he ran along the highway.

"I'm kind of used to it, it's just a lot of people don't know much about what I'm doing," he said.

Since arriving in Alberta this summer, he said he has also been stopped by police in Edmonton for jaywalking and in Calgary for an unpaid C-Train ticket.

He said he was surprised because he has had very few issues since he started running, aside from getting stopped in Ontario, where highway regulations are stricter.

'You have a gift'

In fact, his running career began when a police officer in Vancouver first encouraged him to pursue it as a sport.

"I used to get chased by the Vancouver city police when I was a homeless drug addict and it was put to me by one of the police officers, 'you have a gift.'"

He then joined the Vancouver Falcons athletic club and soon after became one of the top marathon runners in the city. He credits running with turning his life around and helping him along his path to recovery.

One of his goals now is to run alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and talk to him about the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women.