Trail Running Blog

For many if asked who is the greatest endurance athlete of all time they may respond Lance Armstrong, Scott Jurek maybe even Dean Karnazes (he is good at marketing) but very few will respond Terry Fox who I belief if the greatest endurance athlete of all time. Who is this guy? Most Canadians know (I would say ALL Canadians if they don’t they should be shipped out of the country). But for those who aren’t Canadian here is a brief bio from wikipedia:

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 intended to dip it in the Pacific Ocean when he arrived in Victoria, British Columbia. 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. His plan was 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.

Fox was unable to finish his run. X-rays revealed that Terry’s right lung had a lump the size of a golf ball, and his left lung had another lump the size of a lemon. The lumps were not lung cancer; rather, they were bone cancer that went into his lungs through his bloodstream. He was forced to stop the run on September 1, 1980 just north-east of Thunder Bay, Ontario, after 143 days. He had run 5,373 km (3,339 miles, or around 23.3 miles per day) through Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. Terry died one month before his 23rd birthday. The Marathon of Hope had collected $24.17 million, enough to have met his goal.

This Sunday the annual Terry Fox Run is run around the world to raise money for cancer research. It is non-competitive- no winners or awards, just people joining to raise money for cancer research. So if you can get out to a local run donate some money and celebrate the life of one of the greatest Canadians and greatest endurance athletes of all time.

Terry Fox run information.

Update: Sadly I just found out my Uncle passed away this Sunday from cancer. I am making this a personal vow to participate in this event every year.