MONTREAL – After running a short distance across Old Montreal for the annual Terry Fox Run, Jerry Thompson now completely understands what Terry Fox went through.
Thompson, a 42 year-old father of three, completed the non-competitive run, which is organized every year to raise money for cancer research in 15 minutes. “I think I beat some old people and fat children” an exhausted Thompson speculated at the finish line.
“But there were many challenges I had like Terry Fox did some 33 years ago” Thompson added. “I got a really bad cramp and had to walk for bit. Then sweat got into my eyes. But I pushed on and I was determined to beat someone.”
“Until today, it had never occurred to me how hard it was for Terry Fox to run 5,373km in 143 days,” Thompson admitted. “Imagine having to find Gatorade in all those small towns, or all the physiotherapy he must have needed, or all the slow runners he had to push out of his way. It’s really impressive.”
Next year, Thompson hopes to improve his time to 14 minutes and not cry in the middle of the course about how his legs hurt.
