The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

TERRES DREAM LIVES Elizabeth McArthur with long time participant Jim Smitherman. s Jim Smitherman gazes out his backyard window, overlooking Port Perry’s high school track, he recalls the day back in 1982 when he first felt inspired to run for the Terry Fox Foundation. Tackling the run one mile at a time, Jim was determined to do all he could for a cause he believed in. Now, 18 years later, at 85- years-old, Jim is still out participating — only this time, he jokes, he’s tackling the ‘run’ one step at a time. With this September marking the 30th Anniversary of Terry Fox's “Marathon of Hope,” it is only fitting that the community recognizes the outstanding individuals who have supported the local run since its beginning stages in the early 80’s (the run would become an annual event in Port Perry in 1994). Jim happens to be one of those outstand- ing individuals. Elizabeth McArthur says she never tires of seeing his face among the crowds every September. As the event’s coordinator for over 16 years, Elizabeth has seen it all — including many faithful partici- pants from all walks of life - but even she marvels at the fact that Jim has never missed a race. “Jim is an inspiration,” says Elizabeth with a look of admira- tion. “People always mention his name to me. Every year, come rain or shine, he’s still out there!” After losing his mother to throat cancer in the late 1970's and watching Terry Fox run in 1981, Jim says he was motivated to get involved. “It was a wonderful thing,” he recalls, “to see a young man attempt what he did, he must have gone through terrible pain. But it hurt him more to think that he couldn't finish it.” Apart from Terry’s courage and determination, Jim says the feature he admires most about the great Canadian icon was his willingness to support others. “He put his whole self into it, but it wasn’t about him,” he adds. Jim says, throughout the years, he has tried to follow the Please turn to page 34 FOCUS - SEPTEMBER 2010 33