Dear Editor:
To some, this perambulating fellow is a familiar daily sight, but most are unaware of “the rest of the story.” Approaching 93 years of age, Fred Urchyshyn has not grasped the concept that he should be old. Every morning, from his home overlooking Okanagan Lake, he walks up MacDonald Street, Solly Road and Prairie Valley Road to the Seniors’ Drop-in Centre, a distance of 2.3 kilometres and a climb of 360 feet. He then walks back down and does a few chores.
After his wife Elena serves a hearty lunch, he repeats this feat.
Fred walks 9.2 kilometres a day which equals a marathon every 4.5 days. That’s 80 marathons a year. His climb of 720 feet each day equals one Mt. Everest every 40 days (nine times a year). He has done this for years, rain, shine, cold or snow and without a Sherpa guide. Many people wave or honk at him and he raises his walking stick in response.
To appreciate the challenge, one has only to start at his house and drive up to the centre of town. The Urchyshyns moved here in 1970. He has built three or four homes and a couple of high stone walls, one which he fell off. He was seriously injured but was soon walking with crutches and cane and then started the regular route again. This couple also tend to a garden and a few fruit trees. Having observed this daily trek for years, it seems an excellent example of determination and endurance.
Bill McLean
Summerland