Flipping the Switch: Ryan Keeping's Journey Across Canada
Written by Rory McGarvey
Thumbnail & Banner Photo by Ryan Keeping on Instagram
Haligonian Ryan Keeping strongly believes that everyone's dreams are attainable, no matter how daunting or seemingly impossible they may seem. Through this mindset, Keeping is always trying to push his own limits, showing the rest of the world that the restrictions we impose on ourselves are arbitrary and can be shed through dedication and perseverance. Keeping decided to take the next step in inspiring others and has embarked on a monumental journey across Canada.
To help raise both money and awareness for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Keeping is making his way on foot from coast to coast, starting in St. John's, NL, and ending all the way in Victoria, BC. The long journey will be approximately 7,386 km, and Keeping will do it in 75 km daily increments over 99 days (that's the equivalent of running nearly two marathons every day for over three months!).
This is far from the first time Keeping has undertaken a formidable running challenge. From 100 km runs to competitive ultra-marathons, Keeping has done it all. Despite this experience, the journey across all of Canada in just 99 days may prove to be his most challenging feat yet.
However, Keeping isn't embarking on this journey simply for the challenge, but rather to support an amazing cause and inspire others to do the same. For Keeping, supporting the Heart and Stroke Foundation is a cause close to his own heart. Many people in Keeping's family are afflicted by heart conditions, including his father and grandfather. As such, the significance of his journey is strengthened by this personal connection that Keeping holds.
“Just like my hero, Terry Fox, who had a reason for his journey across the country, so do I. His reason was to raise funds and awareness for the disease that touched him, and my reason is not dissimilar. Many of my family members, including my dad and grandfathers, have been affected by heart disease.” -Ryan Keeping
The Cross-Canada Challenge
Photo by Ryan Keeping on Instagram
Having started his long journey on April 1st, Keeping is already deep into his run, and has already passed the halfway point. You can follow Keeping’s journey in detail on his website, ryankeeping.com, where he has laid out every point where he will be running across the country. He is always happy to have others join him for a section of his run.
I was lucky enough to have the chance to join Keeping on part of his run right here in Halifax at Point Pleasant Park, where alongside countless others I got the opportunity to take part in a public run in support of Ryan and his cause.
If anyone wishes for the chance to run with Keeping, the best method is to follow him on Instagram, @ryan.keeping. Keeping and his team are very active on social media, often posting about how his runs are going, and interacting with fans and supporters. It is here that Keeping will often tell his many followers (just under 100k now!) where he will be running next and let them know if there’s any opportunity to run alongside him for part of his long journey.
While Keeping has already made his way through Halifax and Nova Scotia, he still has much of Canada to get through. I encourage readers to take a look at his website and route; you might be surprised to see that Keeping could be coming straight through your town!
Community and Support
Photo by Ryan Keeping on Instagram
Ryan Keeping and his supporters at Point Pleasent Park in Halifax, NS.
One of the most uplifting parts of following Keeping’s journey for me has been seeing the community support and solidarity that Canadians all across our wonderful country have built around Keeping and his challenge. Getting to run with Keeping and his supporters in Point Pleasant Park was an inspiring example of this, seeing so many locals come together to support the young runner. Similarly, seeing the hundreds of people who came together to run with Keeping when he came through Toronto was awe-inspiring. While I couldn’t be there in person, seeing so many strangers coming together to help support one man and his cause shows how much such a mission means to Canadians.
Keeping, Ryan. (May 12, 2024). LEGENDARY RUN IN TORONTO / Running Across CANADA
[Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gCzxSRZ4zE
The support is further evident when you look at how much money Keeping has already raised, even though he is just halfway through his journey. At the time of writing this, Keeping has already raised $86,820 of his $100,000 goal for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. I have no doubts that Keeping will meet his $100,000 goal, but knowing Keeping and his determination, I believe that this goal will be smashed in the next half of his coast-to-coast run, especially with your help. As such, I've included a direct link to Keeping's GoFundMe page here; any donation is welcome and will go towards an amazing cause!
Flipping the Switch
Lastly, it wouldn't feel right to talk about Ryan Keeping without also talking about “flipping the switch.” The saying has become a bit of a catchphrase for Keeping and his many followers, and it really does encapsulate what his message is all about. To flip the switch is to start to become the person you want to be; it’s taking that first step towards deciding you’re going to better yourself. I can’t help but be reminded of our own motto here at Saint Mary’s University, Age quod Agis, or in English ‘What You Do, Do Well.’ While simple, the Latin phrase inspires in me the same sense of determination that flipping the switch and Keeping’s journey as a whole does. Whatever you do in this life, do it to the fullest. Life is too short to fill it with half-measures, and Keeping’s journey across the country stands as a testament to this. Flip the switch now, and chase your dreams to the fullest, because you never know when you’ll have the chance again. This is a lesson I’ve learned from Keeping and one that I hope every SMU student can be inspired by as well, in anything and everything they choose to do.