Two friends walked all of Toronto in a day and took a power nap at Tim Hortons

A pair of Toronto men capped off the year with a trek across the entire city on foot in under 24 hours, and although the journey was painstakingly brutal, the experience was incredibly rewarding for the two local friends.

Scarborough native, Jamil Banks, and his friend Jahrill McAlmont (who he calls JJ), set out to cover Toronto's entire width of 46 kilometres, from the west end of the city at the border of Mississauga and Etobicoke, all the way to the eastern city limit in Rouge Valley at the border of Pickering.

Talking about what inspired the duo to set out on this adventure — which Google Maps marked as a 13-hour journey — Banks tells blogTO that the motive was clear; he "wanted to do something that I could talk about forever. I also wanted to document it as a meaningful piece of content that I can always look back on." 

But this challenge was more than just walking the 46 kilometres from one end of the city to the other; the men sprinkled three mini-missions into their journey to keep things more interesting: they would try a new dish, complete a goodwill task on route, and have a stranger from the streets walk 1,000 steps with them.

And there's a plot twist: if the guys couldn't complete all three before the trek ends, Banks would leave it to his social media followers to assign the duo a new challenge.

Jamil Banks.

So, with their minds on the mission and their rules for the challenge set in place, Banks and Mcalmont got into their winter gear (well, mostly Banks), and set off on foot.

Things were going pretty smoothly — minus walking through a small pocket of snowy weather — when the duo unexpectedly caught the opportunity to complete one of their three mini missions. Scraps of metal flew from a passing car, right onto the road, and McAlmont and another passerby both stepped in to help retrieve the pieces and ensure no one was hurt. Goodwill deed mid-walk? Check! 

The passerby, who introduced himself as Sammy, wanted to reward the men for their act of kindness on the road, and so he offered to buy the two some lunch — their first official break at the three-hour mark. "Meeting Sammy really emphasized that there are good people everywhere. It's surprisingly easy to make genuine connections if you're willing to talk to someone," Banks says.

Jahrill Mcalmont.

Banks and McAlmont were energized to continue their walk after their lunch and what they explained as a "deep conversation" with Sammy. With nine hours left to their final destination, the two took to the streets once again.

But at the halfway mark, things were starting to get difficult, with McAlmont confessing, "I'm halfway to hypothermia. I need some gloves." 

They decide to stop at the next Dollarama for a pair of gloves, and although Banks wasn't struggling as much with the cold, he was enduring physical pain; his hips were giving way. "The physical pain was definitely a factor, but the biggest challenge was mental. Knowing we still had six hours left while already being in a lot of pain was tough. I kept bringing myself back to the idea that we just had to keep walking, and eventually it would be over." 

And did he think about quitting? The simple answer is no.

"I never seriously thought about quitting. I didn't walk that far just to stop. I mentally committed to completing the challenge beforehand. I told JJ that I would only stop if I physically couldn't walk anymore; as long as I could move my legs, we were going to keep going," Banks recalls.

But this experience really changed Banks' relationship with discomfort. He admits that the journey reinforced that any limit one puts on themselves is all subconscious. There are always ways one can push their limits, and "once you recognize that, it becomes much easier to surprise yourself," he says.

The men took their third break with four hours to go to their final destination, and while Banks was grabbing a bite to eat, he realized McAlmont had fallen asleep at the Tim Horton's table where they'd stopped to take a breather.

This is when things got a bit comical…McAlmont refused to wake up and continue the journey. He wanted to stay put at that Tim Horton's, and rest away the effects of that strenuous journey. After some laughs, the two did get back up and recommence, and just like that, the last leg of the trek had begun.

But, just as the guys were approaching the final one-hour stretch to the finish line, they came across what they call "the biggest obstacle of their walk": a steep hill that would definitely challenge their physical strength and amplify the pain in their legs.

They'd come this far, though, and a bit of uphill climbing wasn't going to hinder their success. Willpower, paired with a brief pep talk, got them through and to the other side. And just over the hill was their end mark, what they referred to as the "Last Gas," the Esso gas station at the border of Rouge Valley and Pickering, where Banks and McAlmont ended their mission.

Forty-six kilometres, 12 hours, and 59,000 steps later, the men concluded one thing: they would still do it again.

"I'm just grateful that I got to complete this challenge with JJ, and I definitely hope to do something like this again in different places around the world," Banks confirms.

He ends with a note of encouragement for those who struggle to set out on a journey that feels uncomfortable or difficult. "Give it a shot. Once you complete an uncomfortable challenge, the confidence you gain in yourself is more than worth it."