Retiree, Gary Alan Price of London is about to pass a major milestone--20 years of walking every day.
On April 1, 2001, Price went on a 40 minute walk. At the time, he had a goal to improve his overall health after a friend of his narrowly survived a heart attack. But, as time went on and Price kept walking, the walks turned into something more.
"In the beginning, it was just an investment in my physical health," said Price. "But over the years, it certainly has evolved to a time of kind of solitude and meditation and contemplation where I can just be by myself and think about things and it really has become a very important part of my day."
The retired sportscaster and financial investor has walked every day rain or shine, no matter where he was in the world. At roughly 5 kilometres a day, Price has effectively walked over 37,000 km in his lifetime. He's walked through illness, surgery, and now a pandemic, usually always alone.
Price even walked on the Great Wall of China during the SARS epidemic.
"At the time, we were pretty much the only foreign tourists in China," he said. "And so I had the Great Wall of China to myself to do my walk, and how many people can ever say that?"
Price has walked on the battlefield at Gettysburg, at the base of Mount Rushmore, and through Plains, Georgia where he had a conversation with Former US President Jimmy Carter.
"Most days are pretty straightforward, as you can well imagine, but when you've walked for over 7000 days, some stand out more than others," he said of his more memorable walks.
Price was 51 when he started his walks. Now, he's 71 and said his health has never been better.
"My doctor, the last time I had an annual physical said that for someone my age, I was the best he had ever seen," said Price. "And I felt pretty good about that."
Price credits his good health to his daily walks, and encouraged others to get out and try it if they can.
"Whenever I get my new New Year's calendar, I go through it and I just mark my walks on every day because they're a priority for me," he said. "And it's made a big difference in my life. And I'm not unique, it would make a big difference in anybody's life."
On March 31, Price will officially hit the 20 year mark, and at least for now, he has no plans of stopping.
