I just came across this reader response to a Lance Armstrong article. I had no idea this guy existed but this is incredible. Laker Fan, had you ever heard of this guy.
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I couldn't resist the urge to include a great story stemming from my Lance Armstrong piece.
You wrote "Lance Armstrong is the most important athlete of our generation for all of that."
If that is true (and I don't disagree), then surely the hero of the previous generation was a Canadian runner named Terry Fox. Terry never won any international or even national competitions, but during his Marathon of Hope run in 1980/81 he also became a saint.
You think riding a bike in the French Alps for 2 to 6 hours/day for 20 days with 200 others is tough? Terry ran a full marathon each day for over four months (3339 miles). On one leg.
Terry did not accomplish his goal of running across Canada, and lost his battle with cancer. But he blew away his real goal of raising $1 from every Canadian to go toward the war against cancer. To date, more than $360 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry's name through the annual Terry Fox Run, held across Canada and in 60 countries around the world.
So as we heap the well-deserved glory on Lance, let's not forget to say thanks to this hero from the previous generation whose efforts probably helped enable Lance to be a survivor.
Jose LaFarga
Toronto
