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COMMENTARY: By land and by sea, Island records are being set

I first met Robert Acorn as a fellow early-morning skater, and was fascinated to learn about his record-setting lifestyle. At 98, he was the eldest of the skaters at the Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown — but it was his summer pursuits that truly had me intrigued.

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I knew from media coverage that he was an avid tennis player who regularly cycled 14 kilometres from his home to Victoria Park, but I was unaware of his multiple tip-to-tip completions of the Confederation Trail by bike. After skating one day, I asked him how many complete trips he had made, only to learn that it was at least 10 times — maybe more. With his last completion in his 90s, he finally took his wife’s advice to “give it a rest,” which he did — sort of.

‘Get up and keep going’

Giving anything a rest is not a lifestyle that comes easily to Bob. Long retired from Island Tel, and widowed since 2021, he maintains his own home, walks his faithful dog, and regularly shares meals with family living nearby. He credits his physical longevity to a simple approach: “get up and keep going every........

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