Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Sep 21/05) - Students in Rankin Inlet took part in a nationwide event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope this past week.

Once the final tally is in, it is hoped the 2005 National School Run Day on Sept. 16 may prove itself to be the largest event in Canadian history.

Leo Ussak elementary school principal Harold Goobie said all three Rankin schools participated, with more than 600 students taking part.

He said older students collected pledges for the event, while the younger kids held classroom collections to raise funds.

"The event was orchestrated by time zone, so each participating school in Canada would be walking at the same time from the shores of Vancouver Island to the banks of Newfoundland," said Goobie.

"We staggered our schools by 15 minutes to make sure we had a continuous flow to our event.

"The elementary and junior students started around 11 a.m. and the senior students about 11:15 a.m.

"Things went quite smoothly and both students and teachers really seemed to enjoy taking part."

Legacy lives on

While the vast majority of students weren't even born when Fox made his historic run, his legacy as a true Canadian hero lives on through the annual Terry Fox Run, numerous documentaries and a new feature film (Terry) detailing his life and heroic battle against cancer.

"This event, as they all do, raised a lot of funds for cancer research, but it was also quite special because it honoured Terry Fox and reminded the students of what he accomplished against incredible odds. We invited parents and other family members to come out and take part with us.

Hamlet a sponsor

"The event came to a close at the arena with a hotdog and drink lunch for the participants sponsored by the hamlet of Rankin Inlet.

"I think the students would agree it was a special day."