Skip to content

Annual Terry Fox run approaching

The weekly Recreation Report from Grand Forks and District Recreation.
7795885_web1_stock-RecReport-web

September 1, 1980 – It was a dull day in Northern Ontario when Terry Fox ran his last miles.

He had started out strong that morning and felt confident. The road was lined with people shouting, “Don’t give up, you can make it,” words that spurred him and lifted his spirits. But after 18 miles he started coughing and felt a pain in his chest.

Terry knew how to cope with pain. He’d run through it as he always had before; he’d simply keep going until the pain went away.

For 3,339 miles, from St John’s, Nfld., Canada’s eastern most city on the shore of the Atlantic, he’d run through six provinces and now was two-thirds of the way home. He’d run close to a marathon a day, for 143 days. No mean achievement for an able-bodied runner, an extraordinary feat for an amputee.

He was 22 now; curly haired, good-looking, sunburned. He was strong, wilful and stubborn. His run, the Marathon of Hope, as he called it, a quixotic adventure across Canada that defied logic and common sense, was his way of repaying a debt.

Terry believed that he had won his fight against cancer, and he wanted to raise money, $1 million perhaps, to fight the disease. There was a second, possibly more important purpose to his marathon; a man is not less because he has lost a leg, indeed, he may be more. Certainly, he showed there were no limits to what an amputee could do.

He changed people’s attitude towards the disabled, and he showed that while cancer had claimed his leg, his spirit was unbreakable. His Marathon of Hope had started as an improbable dream — two friends, one to drive the van, one to run, a ribbon of highway, and the sturdy belief that they could perform a miracle.

This is just a short clip of Terry’s Marathon of Hope.

Terry has touched many lives over the years, his strength and determination continues to live on.

As a volunteer for The Terry Fox Run, I would like to encourage you to help raise money for cancer research by picking up your pledge forms and start your campaign today.

The event will take place on Sunday, Sept. 17 starting at the Grand Forks Aquatic Centre parking lot. Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. with the event starting at 10 a.m. The event is an 8 km walk, run or bike course that is suitable for the entire family.

For more information about the 37th annual Terry Fox Run event, please contact us at 250-442-2202 or send an email to gfplay@rdkb.com.