"So... I've decided to start working my way back to juggling fire and, in August, when my eldest son hopes to return to the Island for a visit, I plan to give the kids a demo." - July 1st 2010
He's left PEI and gone home now but I will keep at it and get that flaming video soon....
Stephen Brun/Journal Pioneer Fifteen Island runners chose to tack on an added challenge - they ran 50 km, starting from Tidnish, N.S.
Others take the opportunity to test their own limits.
Case in point: the P.E.I. Regiment, which marched the 13 kilometres with 50-pound knapsacks strapped on each soldier's back.
"We have to do a battle-fitness test every year, which involves (marching) 13 kilometres over a certain time period. We thought we'd take the opportunity to do that and connect with the community here at the Terry Fox Run and to make some money for the foundations as well," said Lt.-Col. Donnie Walsh., shortly after the troops were played off the bridge by the Regiment band.
"Everybody did really well, I'm quite pleased. We kept everybody together and had the band out for entertainment as well."
As if the march wasn't enough, after arriving on the Island each member had to complete a drag exercise - where one soldiers pulls another comrade along the ground for 25 metres.
"We'll be sore for the next two or three days," said Master-Cpl. Calvin Arsenault of Summerside. "There were a lot of people cheering us on, saying thank you, even giving us high fives."
Much earlier Sunday morning, another group also set out to complete the Terry Fox Run.
These 15 Island runners chose to tack on an added challenge - they ran 50 km, starting from Tidnish, N.S.
"They have an 'across-the-border' race in Amherst and I realized you could cross three borders, it would add up to 50K, and you could do it during Terry Fox," said the group's organizer, John Van Ekris of Charlottetown. "Seven of us had done that distance before, but we brought eight new people over to the darkness. Everybody made it, most people are smiling and they still like me."
In case you're counting, the distance is nearly 8 km more than a full-length marathon.
Van Ekris said the runners all finished the 50K between four-and-a-half and five-and-a-half hours.
"We started at 5:20 (a.m.) under the stars and out in the country," said Kensington's Ken Taylor of the run. "You just grit your teeth and keep going. (Terry) ran close to a marathon a day, on one good leg - it was amazing."
Rebecca Pike is originally from Pennsylvania, and is also one of the group's youngest runners at 24. She began running to relieve the stress of being a grad student at UPEI.
"I met this wonderful running community and it just became a passion. John was talking about the 50K run he was organizing for Terry Fox and I thought, 'Why not?' she said. "I had never heard of Terry Fox before I came to Canada. He's really inspirational. If he could do what he did with one prosthetic leg, I can do 50K."
sbrun@journalpioneer.com
Guardian photo by Brian McInnis Thousands walked/ran on the Confederation Bridge Sunday during the Terry Fox event.
Fred Fox, Terry’s older brother, was among those who crossed the 13-kilometre span over the Northumberland Strait.
He said it was an emotional moment as the group from the P.E.I. side met the group that started on the New Brunswick side.
“Everybody was cheering everybody on,” he said in an interview afterward, sipping water in the shadow of the bridge on the New Brunswick side.
“It was a pretty cool experience.”
The Terry Fox Foundation says the annual event, which has become one of the largest cancer research fundraisers in the world, has raised almost $500 million over the years.
That money has been used to make important breakthroughs in the fight against cancer, Fred Fox said.
On Sunday, he marvelled at the number of walkers and runners wearing red Terry’s Team T-shirts, signifying they are cancer survivors.
“It’s a testament to how cancer research is working ... People are surviving their cancer and living longer,” he said.
“It’s pretty rewarding when you get people coming up to you and saying, ’I’m a live today because of what Terry did in 1980 ... It’s pretty incredible to hear people express that.”
Fred Fox, only 14 months older than his famous brother, said he was thinking of Terry when he was crossing the bridge.
“We did everything when we were together,” he said. “He liked to stay active and compete all the time... We challenged each other to do our best.”
Many others have followed Terry Fox’s journey from the start, including Bruce Moore, his high school soccer coach.
“He was an average kid who did extraordinary things,” Moore said in an interview, adding that Terry Fox was a gifted athlete who also played basketball and rugby.
“He was a good student who was on the honour role ... But he was very quiet, and always the first one on the field and the last one off. He led by example, rather than make a lot of noise.”
Moore and his family ran in the first September event in 1981 and have taken part or helped to organize every run since then in Fox’s hometown of Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Moore, who’s now 70, was later diagnosed with cancer. He says he strongly believes he’s still alive because of the money raised from the annual runs.
Meanwhile, Terry Fox’s parents, Betty and Rolly Fox, were in southwestern Nova Scotia to take part in three runs. The community of Barrington won a national contest to host the Foxes.
“There are few folk heroes in Canadian history as formidable and inspiring as Terry Fox,” said local councillor Shaun Hatfield.
Terry Fox was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer when he was 18. His right leg was later amputated 15 centimetres above the knee.
Three years later, wearing a new leg made of steel rods and a plastic bucket, he was ready to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.
On April 12, 1980, he dipped his artificial leg into St. John’s harbour to mark the beginning of his Marathon of Hope.
His trademark hop-skip gait took him through six provinces, running the equivalent of a marathon every day — 42 kilometres.
But the country was shocked in September 1980 when word came that cancer had spread to his chest.
The young man was forced to stop his run in Thunder Bay, Ont. He died 10 months later, a month short of his 23rd birthday.
His 143-day marathon, covering 5,373 kilometres, still stands as an incredible feat that has inspired millions around the world.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2010/09/19/pei-bridge-terry-fox-run.html
It was sunny and 13 degrees.
Betty Fox, the mother of the late Terry Fox, gives an autograph to Elliott River Elementary School student Jessica Harvey shortly before the grand opening ceremony Friday of the Terry Fox Sports Complex in Cornwall.
Betty Fox sees a day when there will be no more Terry Fox Runs.
The iconic mother of Terry Fox says that will be a day when cancer is beaten.
Fox was in Prince Edward Island on Friday to promote the 30th annual Terry Fox Run, which will be marked by a run on the Confederation Bridge on Sunday.
“We’re turning a corner very slowly, as far as cancer research is concerned,” Fox said in a one-on-one interview with The Guardian on Friday.
“We’re not going to find a cure for cancer. I’ve been told that by researchers. We will find causes for many of the various types of cancer and I believe that when that happens we won’t need a run anymore.”
The Terry Fox Run is named in honour of Canadian amputee runner Terry Fox who, at the age of 21, attempted to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.
Warren Ellis of O’Leary said it’s important to have Rolly and Betty Fox in the province on the eve of this year’s Terry Fox Run.
Ellis and his family raised about $340,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation over the last 30 years. The Fox family personally recognized Ellis and his family for their effort.
“When Terry Fox reached Toronto I was watching TV ... he was running down Yonge Street and the nation had just galvanized behind him,” said Ellis, who will be running this year on the Confederation Bridge.
“As he came down Yonge Street that night, tears came to my eyes. It was such a thing to see him. Every year thereafter we got involved and started raising money for him.”
Those who want to take part in the Terry Fox Run on the Confederation Bridge on Sunday can still register. They can go to terryfox.org to register.
Pre-registration is mandatory and free.
More than 14,000 took part in the last Terry Fox Run on the Confederation Bridge in 2005, during the 25th anniversary of the Terry Fox Run. That run raised $375,000 in Terry’s name for cancer research.
The Foxs will not take part in the bridge run. They will be in Barrington, N.S., on Sunday.
That community won a national contest to have the Foxes participate in the run.
Terry’s brother, Fred, will be at the Confederation Bridge on Sunday.
Betty Fox said it took time for her to be able to share her son with the rest of the country.
Now, Fox needs to share Terry with the rest of the world.
There are Terry Fox runs in nearly 30 countries around the world and growing every year.
“In the very early years it was very hard for me because he’s my son - he’s not yours although people felt that way,” said Fox.
“It took a lot to change my attitude. Terry and I were very close. It was hard to share him with others.
“Today, I am so proud that he means so much to other people all over the world.”
Jared Connaughton
Prince Edward Island is sending Canada’s fastest 200-metre sprinter and a co-captain of the women’s national field hockey team to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, Oct. 3 to 14.
Island athletes named to the team include New Haven sprinter Jared Connaughton and field hockey veteran Katie Baker of Argyle Shore.
Connaughton, 25, is the 2010 national champion in the 200 metres. At the 2009 world championships, he placed fifth in the 4x100-metre relay.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Connaughton made the semis in the 200 metres and finished sixth in the 4x100 metre relay. He also won a silver medal at the 2007 Pan Am Games in the 4x100m relay.
Baker, 26, is a midfielder and co-captain of the women’s national field hockey team.
She has been a member of the senior national team since 2006 and was on the junior national team from 2004 to 2005.
Baker has played for the Royal Antwerp hockey club in Belgium as well as Meralomas in Vancouver. She was honoured with a nomination to the 2009 Pan American Elite Team.
“I’ve had the opportunity to see Katie on the field and Jared on the track and they have both worked exceptionally hard to be able to represent Canada and P.E.I.,” said Team Canada Chef de Mission, Martha Deacon.
“Jared worked toward a best-ever performance at the 2010 Canadian track and field championships in Toronto, and for Katie to be a veteran of the field hockey program and to go play in India, where the sport is so big, is exceptional.
“They’re tremendous role models for the youth of P.E.I.”
Canada is sending a team of 400 athletes, coaches and support staff to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi and has a goal of finishing top three in the medal count.
This photo from The Guardian Archives shows walkers who took part in the first Terry Fox run on the Confederation Bridge in 2005.
Travel Alert... The Confederation Bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic Sunday from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
When thousands of people head to the Confederation Bridge for the Terry Fox Run on Sunday, organizers say they will be ready.This year marks the 30th anniversary for the fundraiser and will give runners a chance to cross the bridge that’s normally closed to pedestrians.
Laurel Lea, Confederation Bridge marketing and community affairs co-ordinator, said the organizers expect to see a similar number of people running when the run was on the bridge in 2005.
“Somewhere in the range of 14,000," she said.
The Confederation Bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic Sunday from 6 a.m. tp 1 p.m. and the run itself will take place from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., she said.
“It gives us a one-hour buffer to set up and tear down what is going to be on the bridge.”
Besides thousands of runners, there will be water stations, first aid stations, garbage cans and bathrooms set up at intervals in one lane along the bridge, which will allow emergency vehicles to cross if necessary.
But even before the runners get there, the RCMP will be at work on both sides of the bridge to check run registration documents and direct traffic to the parking areas.
On the P.E.I. side, RCMP officers will man a check stop at the lights on Dickie Road and the Trans-Canada Highway in Borden-Carleton to direct drivers into the parking areas at Gateway Village while Mounties on the New Brunswick side will direct cars to the parking area in Cape Tormentine, Lea said.
Lea said from there, shuttles will take anyone who plans to run the length of the bridge to the opposite side so they can end on the same side as they parked.
“It just alleviates the traffic tie-up at the end.”
On the New Brunswick side, drivers will park in a big field that has been staked off and drivers on the Island side will park in the Gateway Village green space instead of the paved areas, she said.
“The expectation is there will be ample parking.”
There is no charge for parking or the shuttles.
As for safety during the run, Lea said there will be two ambulances at the ready, ski patrol will set up first aid stations every 1.5 kilometres and the Borden-Carleton fire department will have 10 first responders waiting at the end of the bridge.
“We’re covered in first aid.”
To prepare drivers for the pending bridge closure, electronic signs are going up on the roads leading to both ends of the bridge so they will know they can’t get across the bridge before they get to it, she said.
“Instead of going all the way to the bridge, they may delay their trip a little.”
Lea said she didn’t expect to see many people waiting for the bridge to reopen because there were only 17 cars in line to cross when the Terry Fox Run was on the bridge in 2005.
“It wasn’t a very big issue at all.”
Registration for the run is open until 11:59 p.m. Friday at www.terryfox.org and all runners will need to have their official confirmation documents.
rross@theguardian.pe.ca
On September 19, the day of the Terry Fox Confederation Bridge run, participants will attempt a 50-kilometre run across all three of the Maritime Provinces.
Ultra-marathoner John Van Ekris of Charlottetown has organized the event.
"New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have a 10 k run that they call the Cross Border Challenge...My wife and I were going camping where they have the run and we realized that we could do a run that encompasses all three provinces," said Van Ekris.
Van Ekris said the run is not a race; it is about honouring the efforts of Terry Fox.
"Doing this during the Terry Fox run allows us to really draw on the memory of Terry and what he accomplished," he said. "Our run might seem like a lot to people but when you think that our distance before we even reach the bridge is what Terry was doing day after day, it puts it into perspective.
Ken Taylor of Kensington is one of the runners taking on the 50-km challenge. He, too, sees it as an opportunity to honour Fox.
"John came up with the idea to honour Terry Fox who basically ran a marathon distance every day on one good leg," said Taylor. "If we able-bodied runners can do a special run on his day to honour him then so be it."
Nancy Morris of Charlottetown has never run further than the standard 42-km marathon. She has decided to face the challenge as a personal dedication to Fox.
"He's just such an inspiring person," Morris said. "I was 13 when he did his Marathon for Hope and I've just kind of followed it ever since."
Morris said she is slightly nervous about the distance but that she will use Fox as inspiration.
"It will be the farthest I've ever ran but we're runners so we always look to find new challenges," she said. "I feel confident that I can do it."
Van Ekris said he is thrilled people are interested in the exclusive experience.
"It's the only time you can run across three provinces in 50 kilometres," he said.
The run will leave from Tidnish in Nova Scotia at 5 a.m., runners will travel through New Brunswick and finish by crossing the Confederation Bridge.
Van Ekris said most runners should make it to the N.B. side of the bridge between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.
The group will host a tailgate party following the run, around 11 a.m., in the parking lot on the P.E.I. side of the Confederation Bridge. Everyone is welcome to stop by to celebrate and show support.
The team has set a fundraising goal of $1000. Visit terryfox.org and search Maritime 50K Fox Run to make a donation.
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It was cloud, drizzle and wind and 13 degrees."This team is open to anyone wanting to join us in our run .We have set a goal to remind us of the many contributions Terry Fox has made in our lives as well as so many others."If you're interested in joining the Maritime 50k Fox Run contact John Van Ekris.
It was sunny and 19 degrees.
It was cloud and windy and 24 degrees.
Why do 90+ runners go to Summerside to run 10k when a hurricane is on the way?
ST. EDWARD - A little tap on the shoulder near the halfway mark of the marathon in the recent Subaru Canada Ironman triathlon in Penticton, B.C., signalled a shift in ranking for the father-daughter team of Paul and Paulette Dalton.
Never before had Paulette bested her father in a race.
The marathon run - 42 kilometres - is the third and last leg of the Ironman race, which starts with a 3.8-kilometre swim and is followed by a 180-kilometre bike race.
Paulette, 26, who is a nurse in Toronto, finished the three-event race with a combined time of 12 hours 48 minutes 12 seconds (12:48:12). Her father, a 52-year-old bus driver from St. Edward, finished six minutes 15 seconds later.
"I'm very proud of her, big time," Paul said of his daughter's result.
Paulette finished 36th overall in the women's 25-to-29 age category - 99th overall for the age category.
Paul was 145th in the men's 50-to-54 category.
Close to 3,000 people from around the world started the swim, and 2,606 finished the run.
"I knew she was coming," Paul said of his daughter's run. "It was nice to see her pass me."
He started the run three to four minutes ahead of her.
"She tapped me on the shoulder," said Paul. "She asked me how I was feeling. I said, 'Good luck and keep her going.'"
"She tapped me on the shoulder. She asked me how I was feeling. I said, 'Good luck and keep her going.'" - Paul Dalton
The bus driver, who is now in training for November's world Ultraman championship in Hawaii, said he was satisfied with the times both he and his daughter put up. He said he suffered through the transition from the swim to bike this year, taking almost twice as long as last year.
Had it not been for the seven extra minutes in transition, he would have been on target to equal the finish time he set last year. Paul said his swim and run times were personal bests for the course, but strong head winds took its toll during the bike event.
Paulette will be part of the support crew when her father competes in the world ultraman championship. Dad's keeping his fingers crossed that she might catch the ultraman bug.
Thousands of participants showed up Sunday to take part in the Terry Fox Run across the Confederation Bridge. (Tracy Lightfoot/CBC)
