Forty day challenge

The numbers for Dale Rule’s next walk are staggering, but his message remains the same.

“My mission is to have one million people believe in this crazy dude and what he’s willing to do,” Rule said. “We got to have people willing to fight to change this world. I’m no one special, but I believe if I can impact and influence enough people, things will change on their own.”

On Thursday, the 44-year-old from Camas will leave Seaside, Oregon, and walk approximately 1,360 miles along Highway 101, Highway 1 and the Old Coast Highway to San Diego to spread his message. He plans to reach Sea World by Aug. 1.

If one million people donate $1 toward Rule’s dream, he believes each state can build a fully funded park for families and communities to enjoy forever.

“The reason I’m willing to do something this crazy is because of my goal,” Rule said. “My goal is to build parks all over the world. Start in the U.S., and build the first one in Camas. Full blown walking athletic facilities that are funded by all of us. You never have to pay to walk into this place.”

Crunching the numbers gets Rule excited. In order to make it to San Diego in 40 days, he is going to have to average at least 34 miles and 68,000 steps per day.

“It’s going to be a mental grind of putting one foot in front of the other,” he said. “Roughly, I’m going to take 2.8 million steps in 40 days. I’m going to walk upwards of 480 to 500 hours in 40 days. I’m going to cover 1,360 to 1,400 miles in 40 days. As those things start to sink in a little bit … I’ve done some crazy stuff. I’ve walked 90 miles in one day, but I never got up to do it again the next day.”

Rule will not be alone on this adventure. His son, Jeffery, will be following close by with a friend in the family’s van. They will check in on Rule every few hours, make lunch and dinner for him, and set up camp with the tent trailer they purchased through fund raising.

“They know that’s going to be their job, to have the best summer of their lives,” Rule said. “They are going to get to have fun and see things for 40 straight days. It’s going to be an incredible adventure for them, but they have to keep me alive.”

None of this would be possible without the support of the Camas community. Rule said more than 100 people came to his fundraising dinner at Nuestra Mesa, in Camas, on June 1. Since then, he has received close to $8,000 in sponsorships and donations.

“I have all their names written down. Part of that for me is a reminder that these people believe in you,” Rule said. “There are going to be moments of self-doubt … why are you doing this? I just don’t want to let people down. I’m very driven not to let people down.

“I’m telling you, August 1, 8 p.m., I will be at Sea World in San Diego,” he added. “Either that or I’m going to be the in the hospital. Those are the two options I have. I don’t like the second option, so I plan on sticking to the first one.”

In preparation for this walk, Rule has made several visits to the doctor since January. He passed a stress test, but an increasing pain in his throat kept him on edge.

“I remember vividly going to play basketball with the boys after school. After about three minutes, I had to stop. My throat hurt so bad,” Rule said. “I was noticing more pain as I was walking, so I went back to the doctor.”

Rule saw a cardiologist, who suggested that he have an angiogram. Rule went in for the procedure on May 17. About 40 minutes into it, the doctor discovered that one of his arteries was 85 percent blocked. He gave Rule a stint. About an hour later, Rule woke up in the recovery room breathing a sigh of relief.

“The doctor said, ‘Dale, you saved your own life with all that walking you did,'” Rule said. “All my arteries were clean. My heart looked incredible. I just had that one little hiccup.”

He is amazed by how much better he feels. His leg strength came back and the throat pain is gone. Within 10 days, Rule was back up to walking 15 miles per day. Just imagine if that “little hiccup” had not been discovered.

“There’s every shot I would have ended my life somewhere on 101,” Rule said. “On the way home my wife said, ‘Now for once I’m really glad you’re doing this walk. You’re very stubborn and hard headed, and you probably never would have gone to the doctor for your throat pain. But because you’re going for the walk, you did the right thing. And because it was still there, you kept pressing the issue and they found the issue that would have killed you.'”

Going for a walk saved Rule’s life. Now, he is going to put one foot in front of the other for 40 days to save other people’s lives.

“The reality is anyone can do what I’m going to do this summer, if you would train for it. Anyone can walk what I’m going to walk. Eventually, it’s all mental,” Rule said. “Just go for a walk every day. You’d be shocked how much better you feel. It changed my life. Literally going for a walk saved my life.”