USAian, 40 years old. I remember Terry Fox vividly, I think because there was a “That’s Incredible!” episode about his run. I hadn’t thought about him for years until I saw the 30 for 30 documentary - very well done. Terrifically courageous guy. I’m determined to run a half- or whole marathon at some point. If Terry could run thousands of miles on a prosthetic leg, I can run 13.1 or 26.2 on two.
I suppose the other reason why Terry was so memorable to me was that my biggest fear as a kid was contracting cancer and losing a leg, and her was Terry experiencing precisely that, and he wasn’t enveloped in self-pity. Pretty eye opening.
American, soon to be 40, lived pretty much all my life in South Florida. I had to look him up. I wasn’t even aware of the story. And I’m considered fairly well informed amongst my friends.
Or as Elton John once said “the only things I know about Canada are hockey and Anne Murray”.
37, U.S. I know who he is and why he’s famous, but that’s mainly because I used to watch a lot of CBC as a kid (our cable system didn’t have that many choices) and would hear about him every once in a while.
I’m an Aussie and knew who you meant when I read the thread title. I am surprised at how much I know about his story. I even had a clear mental image of him running. I assume it came from a movie about him or a book or article I had read.
The name means nothing to me and I voted for the ‘Who?’ option. But looking him up, I do vaguely recall him. We had a subscription to Time Magazine in the late 70s/early 80s, and I seem to remember he got a bit of coverage in that.
I’ve heard of him, but only because I was living in Canada when he did his run. Of course I was about two at the time and wouldn’t recognize his name if I hadn’t looked him up recently. It’s kind of amazing that I have such a clear memory of my mother telling me about him and seeing him on the television, given that I was born in 1977. I think we moved to the US in 1981. (I was born in Edinburgh, but we moved to Canada when I was ten months old. I grew up entirely in the US.)
Reading the thread, I suppose it’s possible that my memories are actually from seeing something on TV like that movie as a child after we moved, but I’m pretty sure I remember seeing him on TV when he was actually running.
**Dr Drake ** Required Reading as a Canadian (recovering American) and a Vancouverite. There will be a quiz, and feel free to interupt me while I mark it.
Actually, for anyone interested this is an awesome book, brings things home through words and pictures that the other novelizations and biographies didn’t, at least for me. It is written by North Vancouver author Douglas Coupland.
I’m 43, I was in Grade 6 when his run ended in my home town. I didn’t vote in the poll cause I’m from Canada, eh? but most of us kids were crying on and off the day after he collapsed outside of Thunder Bay.
Late 40s, Irish. I’ve heard of him, I saw a movie about him years and years ago on TV. When I was in Vancouver I took photos of the arch that’s dedicated to him and saw the display in the hall of fame. Got very choked up looking at it.
When I was showing people the photos, no one had a clue who he was.
On Google I had to type all the way to Terry F… before Google brought up his name. And even then he was the fifth one down the list. Peope who beat him were:
Terry Fator
Terry Francona
Terry funk (I wanna know who Terry Funk is.)
Terry Farrell
It’s hard to imagine what you consider “too young” if you yourself are 42 hrs old. I’m 44 yrs old, and, while it’s possible I heard of him, I don’t remember doing so. (Thus, my “Who?” vote.)
I’m 44 yrs old, and, while it’s possible I heard of him, I don’t remember doing so. (Thus, my “Who?” vote.)