Mike Warren began walking longer distances in 2019, and he’s aiming to cover a lot of ground for a Comox Valley organization near to his heart.
Warren, 68, is a brain injury survivor of 21 years, a father, retired businessperson and an avid walker.
When he moved to the area from Victoria a few years ago, he decided the best way to explore was by foot.
“I was putting in some pretty health distances. I talked to my doctor and he condones it. Many friends think I have OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) but my doctor says I have PA – a positive attitude.”
Warren sustained his injury, along with partial blindness in the treatment and removal of two brain tumours between 2000 to 2006.
He spends nearly every day racking up distances which he calculates using his iPhone, averaging 11.6km a day. Warren dismisses any mention of slowing down, particularly around his age.
“I’m not feeling (68); age is just a number.”
He has decided to give back to the Comox Valley Head Injury Society by turning his daily walks into a fundraiser. He aims to walk 20km a day from Sept. 8 to 14 and collect pledges and donations to support CVHIS.
“I am just thrilled with what the head injury society does for people like me, and those that are much worse off than I am,” he noted. “I figured a dollar that I may raise is a dollar more than what was there before. Besides, I was going to be walking anyways.”
While he doesn’t have a fundraising goal in mind (“as much as possible”), he has already raised around $1,000 from friends, family and his former employer.
He often walks from the Condensory Bridge to Royston, and if he faces adverse weather, he is prepared with rain gear and will do about 10 laps of the Courtenay Airpark which equals about 20km.
Warren said he walks at a normal pace, listens to music, carries water and stops for lunch or ensures he snacks on some of his homemade baking. He estimates each 20km walk will take him about five hours.
Donations to ‘Mike’s Miles’ are being accepted via cash or cheque at the CVHIS office at 102-254 Simms St. in Courtenay, or via e-transfer to info.cvhis@gmail.com.
photos@comoxvalleyrecord.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
