Heroism remembered in cancer-research run

By Jim Plouffe

JAKARTA (JP): Heroes are made in a variety of ways: in battle, through great accomplishments and in legend. Canada's best known hero meets all the criteria. He is Terry Fox, a perennial 18-year-old with one leg who ran 42 kilometers a day for 143 days in 1980 to battle against cancer. His journey across Canada came to an abrupt halt halfway when the cancer spread to his lungs. He died 10 months later, but only after the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope had been embedded in the Canadian psyche.

Now, 16 years after his heroic deed, the Marathon of Hope has spread to 52 countries worldwide and has raised US$125 million for cancer research. Tomorrow at 7 a.m. the Regent hotel will hold the second annual Terry Fox run in Jakarta to raise funds for the Indonesian Cancer Foundation and awareness of a disease which kills over 190,000 Indonesians every year. The Four Seasons Resort Bali and the Waterbom Park will stage the run in Jimbaran Bay, Bali on the same day at 4 p.m.

Last year the run raised Rp 67 million for the cancer foundation and was enjoyed by over 3,000 participants who jogged, bicycled, in-line skated and walked the five and 10-kilometer routes. This year, the run's sponsors, who include the Canadian Embassy and PT Inco, hope to attract the same crowd and raise Rp 100 million. They have already been pledged Rp 60 million.

The sum surpasses what Terry Fox imagined when in April 1980 he dipped his artificial leg into the Atlantic to challenge 24 million Canadians to each donate one dollar to cancer research. In five months he had covered 5,565 kilometers in a loping gait Canadian schoolchildren dubbed the Terry Fox hop. The distance, just over the breadth of the Indonesian archipelago, was only halfway to his goal of reaching the Pacific Ocean, but was more than enough to realize his dream of helping ease the suffering of people with cancer. This dream, instilled in him when he lost his right leg below the knee to bone cancer, drove him through pain, the legendary Canadian weather and seemingly endless stretches of lonely road to become what Canadian Ambassador designate Gary Smith simply terms "a Canadian hero."

In Jakarta, the five-kilometer route will begin at the Regent, run along the canal to the Landmark Buildings, then head north on Jl. Thamrin to the Welcome Statue and back to the hotel via Jl. Imam Bonjol. The 10-kilometer run will extend to Monas. In Bali, the route is 10 kilometers long and will run from the Four Seasons Hotel along the beach and then back to the waterpark. There will be refreshments and entertainment at the end of both runs.

To register early, a good idea considering the popularity of the event and the fact that registration in Jakarta begins at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, telephone the Regent (252 34560, the Indonesian Cancer Foundation (310 8170) or the Canadian Embassy (525 0709). Call the Four Seasons Resort (701 010 ext. 8504) to register in Bali.