Marathon of Hope

The Marathon of Hope is a name given to the cross-Canada run undertaken by cancer patient Terry Fox in 1980. It is commemorated each year with the Terry Fox Run which is an international event that raises money for cancer research.

The run begins

Terry Fox began the marathon on a foggy April 12, 1980 from St. John's, Newfoundland. He started by dipping his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean. The beginning of the run was marked with little fanfare; only one camera crew from the CBC was there to witness his start. He was joined that first day by the mayor of St. John's, who ran for a portion of the marathon.

Related Topics:
April 12 - 1980 - St. John's, Newfoundland - Atlantic Ocean - CBC

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While running through Gambo, Newfoundland on April 21, Terry was quoted as saying "It was an exciting day in Gambo. People came and lined up and gave me ten, twenty bucks just like that. And that's when I knew that the Run had unlimited potential."

Related Topics:
Gambo - Newfoundland

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Two weeks later while in Port-Aux-Basques, Newfoundland, Terry's idea of raising $1 for each person in Canada was born. In less than 2 hours, the community of 10,000 people, raised $10,000, equal to one dollar per person. Several weeks after Terry left Newfoundland, he found out that this total increased by another $4,000.

Related Topics:
Port-Aux-Basques - Newfoundland

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