Terry Fox Run

[sithvixen]

Every September thousands of people, in 60 different countries, take to the streets to run and to continue the dream of a single man. Who could have inspired such participation and what was his cause? The man was Canadian Terry Fox and the cause was to raise money for cancer research. It began when Terry Fox was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, a form of bone cancer. His right leg was amputated six inches above the right knee.

Always an athlete, once Terry recovered he resolved to run across Canada with the goal of collecting one dollar for every Canadian. Terry began his "Marathon of Hope" on April 12, 1980 as he dipped his artificial foot in the Atlantic Ocean. He hoped to dip the same foot in the Pacific at the end of his run. He also filled two large bottles with Atlantic Ocean water; his plan was to keep one as a souvenir and pour the other one into the Pacific. He also intended to fill another jug of water with water from the Pacific Ocean. He was going to run about 42 km (26.2 miles) a day, the distance of a typical marathon. No one had ever done anything similar to the task Fox was undertaking. However, the grueling pace that Terry set for himself, through rain or shine, was cut short when doctors discovered that cancer had spread to his lungs. He was forced to stop the run on September 1, 1980 just north east of Thunder Bay, Ontario, after 143 days. He had run 5, 273 km (3,339 miles or around 23.3 miles per day).

In June 1981 Terry developed pneumonia and on June 27 went into a coma. He died on the 28th at 4:37am which was his favorite hour of running and one month before his 23rd birthday. However, his dream still came true. The Marathon of Hope collected $24.17 million, enough to have met his goal.

Since his death, Terry's heroic perseverance is honoured through numerous awards and research grants. Funds have continued to be raised for cancer research as more and more people join in the annual run that Terry began. To date, his foundation has raised 360 million towards Cancer research. This year (2008) the run in Red Deer had 300 participants and raised $18,000 alone for the foundation. Terry Fox has also inspired several movies and there are talks of a feature length movie.

You can find out more about the run here: Terry Fox Run

Keep in mind, the marathon is non competitive. It is a family oriented event and does not award prizes for placing. The foundation wants to recognize ALL participants who donate to the cause for cancer, not just those who can run the fastest. It also does not charge an entry fee or allow the event to make a profit or use proceeds to cover costs. It only asks that participants voluntarily donate a minimum of 1 dollar, just like Terry Fox hoped.

In Atlanta, the Terry Fox Run was renamed Four Seasons Run for Research 5K/10K. They technically started a new race because they no longer donate the money to the Terry Fox Fund and they no longer acknowledge the charity or follow it's rules (like no entry fee ($125) and no awards). Emory is the recipient of the funding. But it still happens in September and the money still goes towards a good cause.

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Never give up on a dream was written by Rod Stewart in memory of Terry Fox

My goal for next year is that I'd like to run in this race. The last time I ran in it, I was about 10 years old.