Twenty-one-year-old Daniel Cloutier is nearly two months into a cross-Canada inline skate trek to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society and he’s starting to feel it.
“You get to see the whole country at 20 km/h. That’s something pretty special, but physically and mentally I’m getting pretty tired,” said Cloutier from just outside of Smith Falls, Ont.
The journey began on May 1 in Vancouver and will end in Halifax on July 24. He’s been skating around four hours and covering 50 to 75 kilometres per day.
On Friday, Cloutier will be rolling through Ottawa before heading out to Montreal, though he will drive back here to celebrate Canada Day with a booth in the Sparks Street Mall.
He is heading into his fourth year at the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface in Winnipeg. He was inspired to skate across the country after seeing Sheldon Kennedy make the journey in 1998. He chose to do it for cancer research after losing his uncle to cancer three years ago.
Chantal Courcelles, Cloutier’s girlfriend, said they hope to raise $100,000.
Donations can be made on Cloutier’s website at dontstopbelieving.ca.
