Solas Strive 1 Terry Fox
A marathon a day. Across Canada. On one leg. All for cancer research.
It’s impossible to fully capture Terry Fox in just 2000 characters. If we had to choose one word, it would be “Fighter”. At 18, this amateur Canadian athlete lost his right leg to cancer. Instead of giving up, he played the cards life had dealt him, and helped millions of people by doing the best he could with what he had.
Raised in Vancouver, Terry loved sports. In high school, he struggled to make the basketball team because of his height. His coach encouraged him to try cross-country running instead. So he did. In Terry's final year of high school, he won his school’s Athlete of the Year award. This kind of determined attitude defined Terry, and embodies the Canadian and rún spirit.
After losing his right leg to osteosarcoma, Terry decided to run a “Marathon of Hope” to raise money for cancer research. His plan: run across Canada, a marathon a day, on one leg. On April 12, 1980, Terry dipped his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean in Newfoundland, and filled up a bottle of Atlantic Ocean seawater. He vowed to pour that bottle into the Pacific ocean once he reached Victoria and completed his Marathon of Hope.
Terry failed to complete his marathon. He ran 5,373 km over 143 days, battling harsh weather, exhaustion, and worsening pain. He refused to quit until cancer spread to his lungs, forcing him to stop near Thunder Bay. He died on June 28, 1981, at just 22 years old.
He failed to complete his marathon, but accomplished so much more. He changed the world. Since 1981, the Terry Fox Run has raised over $900 million for cancer research. He won the Lou Marsh Award, Order of Canada, and three national wheelchair basketball championships. His name appears on schools, parks, streets, and soon Canada’s new $5 bill. Terry's attitude for life left a permanent legacy on people around the world, and is a constant source of inspiration for rún.
If you would like to make a donation or learn more about Terry, please follow the link below.
Every year, on the third Sunday of September, you can join the Terry Fox Run and raise money for cancer research.
