An Okotoks man took on the exhausting feat of running on a treadmill for 24 hours straight while raising awareness for Mito Canada.

Dave Proctor broke the world record for greatest distance ran on a treadmill in 24 hours at the Mito Treadmill event with 15 minutes to spare. The previous record was 257.88 kilometres and Proctor smashed that with 260.4 kilometres.

Proctor specializes in running 24-hour races and competed at the World 24-Hour Championships in Torino, Italy where he ran 267.09 kilometres which earned him the Canadian record and sixth at the event.

His friend and a fellow runner Blaine Penny's son Evan has mitochondrial disease, while Proctor's son Sam has an undiagnosed ataxia disorder.

Proctor says Penny helped him find his inner strength to push through the break the record.

"I had pictures of my son on my treadmill and Blaine pointed at my son and said, 'Dave, let's not forget why we're doing this, we're running for those who can't and children and people with mitochondrial disease all over the world including your son would die to be in your position right now to be able to do what you're doing.' He said, 'Your legs are tired, you're exhausted, but you can do this.'"

He says running through outdoor trails involves going left and right, jumping and leaping, but on a treadmill every stride is exactly the same where problems with hip rotation and foot strike can escalate to IT band syndrome, knee and heel issues, and serious blisters.

According to Proctor there weren't many rules so he was able to take bathroom breaks and receive quick physio treatments.

"You could do whatever you want, you could stop and get in your vehicle and drive away and go to A&W and get onion rings, you could stop and get a massage, but none of those things are conducive to having a fast time."

Twenty-seven other runners broke seven world records on treadmills throughout the day as well at the Calgary Marathon Race Expo in May, raising about $75,000 for Mito Canada.

Record breaking runners for Mito Canada at the Calgary Marathon and Race Expo. (Photo Courtesy: Neil Zeller)

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