Twenty days after they left Victoria, three long-distance walkers arrived in Creston on the 7K180 Cross Canada Walkathon, in which they will travel 7,000 kilometres in 180 days on foot.
Billy Lui, Pompey Leung and Chris Wong are part of the Monticle Leadership Association, an Ontario-based “non-profit leadership training organization, inspiring future leaders through education and life philosophies,” according to its website.
With a support vehicle close at hand, the trio — with Lui, a combat medic, leading post-secondary students Leung, 21, from Hong Kong, and Wong, 18, from Macao — left Victoria on March 9 and arrived in Creston on Sunday, spending their following rest day in town before heading east on Tuesday.
Their goal is to reach St. John’s, N.L., no later than Aug. 15. So far, they’ve been averaging nearly 50 kilometres a day, hindered somewhat by B.C.’s terrain — they walked only 39 kilometres the day they came over Kootenay Pass.
“With their mental strength, physical endurance, and camaraderie, they will complete this challenge together, every step of the way,” says www.monticle.ca.
Through the journey so far, the trio has dealt with all kinds of weather, starting out in T-shirts and eventually donning sweaters and parkas. And they’ve had invitations from people to stay in their homes, and RCMP officers swing by with hot coffee.
“The B.C. people are very nice to us,” said Lui, as they prepared to head out on Tuesday morning. “We really appreciate them.”