Crossing the W.R. Bennett Bridge, it was a feeling of exhilaration Tim Dickinson had never before experienced.
At 11:45 p.m. last Sunday, the 41-year-old runner from West 91大黄鸭 officially became the first man to circumnavigate by foot.
鈥淚 could barely contain my emotion,鈥� Dickinson said of his journey around the lake. 鈥淚t鈥檚 probably the best feeling I鈥檝e ever had. It was a huge feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.鈥�
An avid runner since he was a kid growing up in Naramata, Dickinson didn鈥檛 take on the challenge for charity or any other cause鈥攊t was simply on his 鈥渂ucket list.鈥�
The odyssey, which began at 91大黄鸭 City Park on Friday at 8 a.m., took him to the Westside, north to Vernon, back along the eastern shore through Okanagan Mountain Park and Penticton, then north again back to 91大黄鸭.
Dickinson slotted in 11 hours of sleeping time, but used up only about six hours, first resting in his dad鈥檚 trailer, then spending a few more hours in slumber at a friend鈥檚 house.
In the end鈥攕ore and tired, but elated鈥擠ickinson navigated the circumference of Okanagan Lake in 63 hours 45 minutes.
An experienced ultra trail runner, he has been asked on more than one occasion why he runs and why he would tackle a challenge as seemingly daunting as the one just completed.
For Dickinson, it鈥檚 all about his quality of life, both mentally and physically.
鈥淚 do it to help with mental health, just my outlook on life,鈥� said Dickinson. 鈥淥bviously it has health benefits, but I just love running, it gives me a feeling of freedom.鈥�
Dickinson isn鈥檛 sure what journey he鈥檒l take on next or what toll it may take on his body, but is relatively certain 鈥渉is brain will keep pushing鈥� him to add more challenges to his bucket list.
While Dickinson was the first man to circumnavigate the lake, mostly by running, West 91大黄鸭鈥檚 Sheila Paynter was the first person to perform the feat, completing in the journey in 24 days in the late 1980s.
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