Post: #1

This story is familiar to most Canadians but I'm relatively certain is unknown anywhere else. For me his story never fails to motivate me and here's why:

Terry Fox a 22 year old Canadian decided in 1980 that he was going to run across the country to raise money for cancer research. He only got half way but succeeded in running the distance of a marathon every day for 143 days. in a row. That sounds pretty challenging right? Well thats just the tip of the iceberg. Terry had one leg. He ran 143 marathons in a row on one leg and this wasn't with some sort of carbon fiber spring bladed super leg, this was with a 1980 prosthetic leg which was pretty much just a stick with a hinge on it. The man limped 143 marathons in a row.

Maybe you think thats not challenging enough? He had only become an amputee 3 years prior because of knee cancer which was combined with chemotherapy. This wasn't your 'pink ribbon everybody loves you tits' chemotherapy either. This was 'The home computer hasn't even been invented yet and you have a 50% chance of dying' chemotherapy. So, he limped 143 marathons in a row, on a stick leg, which he learned how walk on only 3 years ago, which apparently was a process so painful that "it only really hurt for the first 20 minutes and then it became numb"

Maybe all of that combined still isn't challenging enough for you? Maybe you think Terry is a pussy because he only made it half way across Canada. Well lets look at why he stopped. Terry was running and over the course of a few days he found it hard to breathe and was coughing alot, coughing up some blood and and his chest hurt. He figured he'd better go see a doctor. Turns out Terry's cancer had spread and he had stage 5 lung cancer. He had to end his run to get treatment and ended up dying 9 months later.

So there you have it. Terry Fox limped though 143 marathons in a row with one leg on a stick with fucked up cancerous and asthmatic lungs and didn't complain and got pissed off if anyone pitied him. You can see on his face while he runs thats its fucking painful. He's not smiling he's just got this look on his face determination combined with 'this is really uncomfortable"

Think of Terry when you don't want to lift or complain about a back or shoulder injury or complain about anything really, because when you do, the ghost of Terry Fox is looking down at you and calling you a pussy.

Post: #2

Dedication is admirable, but if you're really injured sometimes the best thing is rest and rehab. Watch what pro athletes do.

Here's a story of a pro guy that came back too soon:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/a.../index.htm

Post: #3

A true Canadian hero.

Post: #4

This is a great story about motivation but it's unapplicable on a regular Joe.

- Our hero knows the end is near, he goes all out on this marathon thing. Regular Joe has to worry about his debt, retirement and social circle, cannot focus on one thing to the exclusion of everything else.

- Our hero is lauded for his efforts, his entire environment (family, friends, hometown, country, the world) backs him up. Regular Joe will likely encounter strong opposition.

This is applicable if one focuses on one thing in life to the exclusion of everything else (entrepreneurs seem to fit the bill) but most people have to juggle tasks and prioritize, and it's useless to tell them that Terry thinks you're a pussy if something was left for later. In real life, something's got to give.

Utmost respect for Terry. Much like Steve Jobs, he hit accelerate when his life was about to end, and found out that the pedal reaches much deeper than anyone thought.

Post: #5

Australias version of the freakish runner, Cliff young.





Knocked 2 days off the record for a run between Sydney and Melbourne, a distance of 875km, at 61 years of age.