This year marks the 32nd anniversary of the Terry Fox Run on November 11th 2012, in Padang Merbok KL.
Terry Fox was 18 years old in 1977 when he was diagnosed with bone cancer. His right leg was amputated above the knee. Whilst in the hospital, Terry was so moved by the suffering of cancer patients, particularly children, that he resolved to run across Canada (a distance of 8,500 kilometers) to raise money for cancer research.
He called his journey the “Marathon of Hope”. Terry Fox, an amputee, ran a marathon (42 kilometers) a day for 143 consecutive days - a total distance of 5,373 kilometers. At that stage, Terry was forced to abandon his run as the cancer spread to his lungs. Terry Fox died a few months later at the age of 21.
Before he died, he knew that a fund-raising event would be held each year, with the same objectives as the Marathon of Hope - to help find a cure for cancer.
Since 1981, the Terry Fox Run has raised more than 550 million Canadian dollars in aid of cancer research around the world. The Terry Fox Foundation requires that the funds raised be used for cancer research in the country where the Run is held.
The beneficiary this year will be the Cancer Research Initiatives Foundation (CARIF). CARIF is the first independent, non-profit cancer research organization in Malaysia.
The Facebook page of Terry Fox Run KL is very interactive this year. Instead of just updates, fans get to submit the reasons why they are running the Terry Fox Run.
Some of the lucky ones got their reasons incorporated into Facebook cover photos.
Some of the even luckier ones made it to the photo wall at the run this morning!
We also saw the introduction of the Team Terry Fox special T-Shirt - in red.
Not everyone can wear this red Tee. Only those who have fought and won the battle against cancer are qualified enough to wear it, like our fellow runner, ultramarathoner, CARIF ambassador, cancer survivor, Frank Chong.
Check out Frank's blog HERE.
Look who we bumped into at the run – Amir Muhammad, movie maker, writer and publisher. He automatically gave us the celebrunner pose without asking. Thank you so much, Amir! Heheh!
Do LIKE our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/celebrunner and check out another 146 photos in the album.
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