Man to run Thursday to honour Terry Fox

Published on April 10, 2012
Doug Gallant

Michael Gaudet will run from Borden-Carleton to
Charlottetown Thursday as part of a national movement
to mark April 12 as Terry Fox Day in Canada.

National movement to designate April 12 Terry Fox Day in Canada

A city man will run from Borden-Carleton to Charlottetown Thursday as part of a nationwide project to increase awareness about Terry Fox and his 1980 Marathon of Hope run across Canada.

Michael Gaudet, 59, will begin his run at 11 a.m., retracing the route Fox took 32 years earlier.

Gaudet stresses that his run and those of his counterparts across the country are not about generating funds.

“This is not about raising money,” Gaudet says. “This is to raise awareness for Terry Fox, the hero that he is and the athlete that he was. We’re bringing awareness to Terry Fox the individual,” said Gaudet.

Gaudet followed Fox’s Marathon of Hope closely in 1980, though he did not get to see him in person when he ran across P.E.I.

He was moved by Fox’s commitment to cancer research. And he was very much impressed by what Fox was physically able to accomplish.

“Terry Fox ran basically a marathon a day for the over 3,000 miles he ran,” Gaudet said. “That’s an incredible feat for any athlete.”

The run Gaudet is taking part in is the brainchild of Eddy Nolan of Montreal.

Nolan, who’s been taking part in Terry Fox runs for 30 years and is now fighting cancer himself, would like to see April 12 designated Terry Fox Day in Canada. That’s the date Fox set out on his run in 1980.

Nolan missed out on the 2011 Terry Fox Run due to his own cancer treatments and decided to try and organize something special for this year. He’s recruited people in almost every province and territory to take part in this run, all of whom will compete either on April 12 or as close to that date as possible.

All will run a full marathon or split a marathon with other runners.

Gaudet expects he will not be running alone Thursday in P.E.I. He said a number of other people have expressed an interest in joining him and believes some of those people will join him.

“I don’t think there’s anybody in Canada that has put on a pair of running shoes that hasn’t at some point thought of Terry Fox and what he’s done,” said Gaudet.

A flag presentation ceremony will be held at the Cenotaph in Charlottetown Thursday at 5 p.m.