An Ultra Marathon runner from Halifax, Nova Scotia has begun his challenge to run across Canada in under 100 days, raising money and awareness for heart disease.

Ryan Keeping says his inspiration for this run is Terry Fox, therefor he started his run Monday morning from the Terry Fox monument in downtown St. John’s.

Many family members including his dad and grandfathers have been affected by heart disease. Recently, Keeping says, both of his siblings have tested positive for the gene causing these heart issues. As a result, he hopes to raise funds and awareness through his own run across Canada for the Heart & Stroke Foundation to help other families like his, who are touched by heart disease.’

The run is unsponsored, and Keeping says all expenses are out of pocket. He has set up a GoFundMe page, asking for donations to help him along is run across Canada.