Decade of dedication: Lethbridge woman ends impressive streak of running a mile each day
A Lethbridge woman ran at least a mile a day for a decade, but now she's calling it quits.
Nicki Van Eck, 34, began her run streak Dec.1, 2012, when Lethbridge's Runners Soul running supply store hosted a holiday run streak and encouraged their customers and run club members to participate.
The concept was simple; run a mile each day of the month for a chance at winning a prize.
"I won a pair of shoes the first day," said Van Eck. "I thought, 'Oh darn, now I have to run the whole month.' It was challenging, but on Jan. 1, I was like 'What’s one more day?' Jan. 2, 'What’s one more day?'"
Van Eck just kept running. Over 3,650 days, she ran a minimum of one mile each day to keep the streak alive. In 10 years, she logged 14,971.62 kilometers and ran for 1,762 hours and 43 minutes. She had to get creative at times.
"I’ve had to run in a parking lot at 11 at night after work," said Van Eck. " had to run with the flu at Christmas on a treadmill.
"I did have a small fracture in my foot I ran through and I had Lasik eye surgery so I actually had to have my brother run with me so I could see where I was going."
Nicki Van Eck ran at least a mile-a-day for 10 years, beginning in December 2012.
Runners Soul has a plaque dedicated to those who have run a mile a day for at least a year. Van Eck was the first name to be added to the 10-year plaque. She celebrated the milestone then decided to end her streak a few days later, saying it just felt like the right time.
"Ten years is such a great milestone. It was a very emotional decision when I stopped but I feel really good about the decision."
As for whether she'll streak again?
"I don’t think I’ll do anything as long as 10 years again," said Van Eck, "but I'm sure next December I’ll be joining the run streak challenge with Runners Soul."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadians across the country mark Remembrance Day
Canadians gathered Monday in cities and towns across the country to honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles.
Canada cancels automatic 10-year multiple-entry visas, tightens rules
Canada has announced changes to their visitor visa policies, effectively ending the automatic issuance of 10-year multiple-entry visas, according to new rules outlined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Trump names Stephen Miller to be deputy chief of policy in new administration
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is naming longtime adviser Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner, to be the deputy chief of policy in his new administration.
Mattel says it 'deeply' regrets misprint on 'Wicked' dolls packaging that links to porn site
Toy giant Mattel says it 'deeply' regrets an error on the packaging of its 'Wicked' movie-themed dolls, which mistakenly links toy buyers to a pornographic website.
Alien-like signal from 2023 has been decoded. The next step is to figure out what it means
If Earth's astronomical observatories were to pick up a signal from outer space, it would need an all-hands-on-deck effort to decipher the extraterrestrial message. A father-daughter team of citizen scientists recently deciphered the message. Its meaning, however, remains a mystery.
Twin port shutdowns risk more damage to Canadian economy: business groups
Business groups are raising concerns about the broad effects of another round of labour disruptions in the transport sector as Canada faces shutdowns at its two biggest ports.
Experts investigate possible tornado in Fergus, Ont.
A team of tornado experts is heading to Fergus, Ont. after a storm ripped through the area Sunday night.
Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people
Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.
Bleeding and in pain, a woman endured a harrowing wait for miscarriage care due to Georgia's restrictive abortion law
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision eliminated the federal right to abortion, miscarriage management has become trickier and in some cases, deadlier.