'Didn't think I was going to survive': Saskatoon man completes goal of walking every street in the city

Mike Berko completing his project at city hall after walking every single street in Saskatoon. (Miriam Valdes-Carletti/CTV News)

SASKATOON -

A Saskatoon man has completed a project of walking on every street in the city over 329 days in a row.

Mike Berko finished his last walk at city hall Saturday morning with a small group of supporters by his side.

The "Walking with Mike" project aimed to capture the city's hidden gems, with Berko bringing his camera with him as he walked a total of 2,000 kilometres.

"(I) didn't think I was going to survive it, but got through the winter. The summer with the rain was my concern, equipment getting wet and such," Berko told CTV News.

Berko walked every single day, regardless of weather. He originally expected to cover the city in under two years, starting on Dec. 27, 2020, but managed to do it in less than one.

Earlier this year, Berko said some of his favourite finds included an old police booth in Greystone Heights, a rare 1988 limousine motorhome in Fairhaven and more.

His advice to other residents in the city is to walk different communities so they have a better understanding of the city.

"The things I did see, took photos of, was just the scratch of the surface really. There's so many beautiful areas."

FAMILY SUPPORT

During his walk he often had his son, wife and other family and friends join him.

"That support was important, especially in our household. A lot of duties got set aside, made some long days and I got a good understanding family," Berko said.

"Some days they thought I was pretty crazy, especially when it was 40 below walking."

Berko's wife Shannon says he would map out his route, print the map, highlight the areas to not duplicate it and kept it in a binder. She says he also took roughly 9,000 photos.

While Berko was the one walking every single day, his family also made sacrifices to help him with his goal.

"We couldn't really go anywhere for the year because he couldn't be far from the city to be able to do what he was doing. So we didn't venture very far and it was always after supper he was gone," Shannon told CTV News.

Shannon says she's proud of her husband and admits she didn't think he would be able to do it.

"I don't know anybody else who would have that perseverance to continue it on days we didn't feel like going," she said.

FUTURE PLANS

While the "Walking with Mike" project is over, Berko is already taking steps towards his next project.

He plans to advocate for more green spaces around the city.

"I've had the chance to speak to different groups and different parts of the city and I think they need some help right off the bat," Berko said.

Berko says there were also parts of the city he was unable to walk because they weren't complete.

"I will finish those up later on in the summer as soon as I can get onto those properties."