What Makes Canada Cool?
With one leg, 18-year-old Terry Fox ran half-way across Canada
to raise funds for Cancer Research
Thunder Bay Terry Fox
Thunder Bay, Ontario - Terry Fox tried to run clear across the country with just one leg. He made over half the way. Terry was diagnosed with bone cancer at the age of 18 and lost his right leg below the knee. He made up his mind to run to raise money for cancer research, and calling his challenge the Marathon of Hope, he managed to run 26 miles a day for 143 days, from St. John's Newfoundland to Thunder Bay, Ontario - with an artifical leg. His spirit captured the country. After 5,373 kilometeres (3,339 miles) his cancer reappeared and he was forced to stop near this point. He passed away on June 28, 1981, just a month before his 23rd birthday, but his spirit has carried on. He wanted is run to count - and it has. Every year more than 500,000 people partipate in Terry Fox fund-raising runs across Canada and around the world. To date, over 400 million dollars has been raised for research. A section of the Trans Canada Hwy west of Thunder Bay has been named the Terry Fox Courage Hwy.

Where: Thunder Bay sits on the north shore of Lake Superior (the world's largest body of fresh water) half way between Winnipeg and Sault Ste Marie. About 45 km from town, on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Superior, is Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. It was voted one of the 'Seven Wonders of Canada' by viewers of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Visitors can swim, fish, camp, hike and watch for wildlife from fox to moose.

More Central and Northern Ontario 'Cool': Sudbury's Neutrino observatory 2 km beneath the ground I Shania Twain's Hometown I Killarney - the wilderness park that was saved by a group of artists I White River and Winnie the Pooh I Cochrane - swim with polar bears I Thunder Bay - Terry Fox Courage Hwy I Where Shania Twain got her start I World's first Dark Sky Reserve I Gravenhurst & Bethune - pioneer of first mobile blood transfusion units I world's longest freshwater beach


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Lucy Izon Travel Journalist
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