Terry fox run and cleanliness

For the first time ever, I joined the Terry Fox Run on Sept. 14, 1997 in Jakarta. It was a great event as it has helped to support the war against cancer. That morning I could meet people of all walks of life and nationalities participating in the event. Many completed the course on bikes, some on their roller skates and the rest on foot.

Mrs. Umar Wirahadikusumah, chairman of the Indonesian Cancer Foundation, and Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman were present to start the run. There were two categories for runners to follow, the first was a five kilometer run and the other was 10 km. Both started and ended at the Hotel Regent.

We enjoyed this well-organized event, and to my surprise there were also door prizes to win (I was not a winner -- as usual). Participants were provided with snacks and drinks at the end of the event. They also gave us ample mineral water during our run near the water fountain in front of Hotel Indonesia. I really appreciated the spoils...

Some participants, who ran in front of me, recklessly threw the empty polystyrene cups away on the ground near the pool. It was shameful to see that some people are obviously lacking consciousness concerning the environment. They should have kept the empty cups while running and dumped them in the litter box provided by the committee.

I hope next year the Committee would inform all participants of the Terry Fox Run of the need to maintain cleanliness and dump their waste in the proper place.

H.W.PIENANDORO

Bogor, West Java