This trend is also a bit disturbing regarding Dave’s recent 100-mile record on a treadmill near his home in Calgary. As a performance it shows tremendous talent & persistence, etc. Few could match his efforts. I assume Guinness also verifies these records, it’s not for everyone, but no worries.
But Trans-Canada is everything a treadmill near home is not. You’re far from home. Weather is the original chaotic system, instead of four walls & a roof favored by people with obsessive-compulsive tendencies (which are made worse by such activities). Traffic ensures that a transcon can be dangerous every second; a treadmill, well, you can fall off, I guess. You generally have to meet a lot of people instead of avoiding them. The customs & available food can vary a lot (a real burden for foreigners in my five transcons). You’re constantly exposed to the sun & elements.
Then there’s the past history of inability to handle the camber & physical conditions of road running for long periods. Yet, as I asked last year, what else did you expect to find?
Road running is clearly not for everyone, even 5K’s, much less 7000 kms +. What you can conclude is that Proctor is well aware that it’s unlikely he’ll succeed, so he chooses to merely pad his resume with a longer race under ideal, but inappropriate, conditions. Subsequently he can perhaps be paid in advance to make the attempt across Canada once again, with all the incentive in the world, unfortunately, to cheat.