Marathon of Hope

People are capable of doing incredible things. You, me, your cousin or your neighbour. That woman you see walking her dog every day. Even the guy who never rinses his dishes at work.

Terry was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the knee.

While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients (many of them young children) that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

He would call his journey the Marathon of Hope. It was a journey that Canadians never forgot.

After 18 months and running over 5,000 kilometres (3,107 miles) to prepare, Terry started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 with little fanfare. Although it was difficult to garner attention in the beginning, enthusiasm soon grew, and the money collected along his route began to mount. As I set out to run marathon #10 in St. John's this weekend, it will be hard to think about anything else. I will be running in the footsteps of a hero.

Terry ran close to 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. However, on September 1st, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles), he was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. The entire nation was stunned and saddened.

Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at the age 22. The heroic Canadian was gone, but his legacy was just beginning. His determination, his persistence and his drive inspire me as an athlete and leaves me humbled and in awe.

To date, over $650 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry's name through the annual Terry Fox Run, held across Canada and around the world.