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stouffville suntribune thursday sept 23 2004 17 friends death brings meaning of fox run home by susan kaunismaa the weather is perfect the sky is blue and the sun brilliant we are in our beautiful little stouffville hundreds of people gath er together for a common initiative its the 24th annual terry fox run we arrive early and go to the registration tent we hand in our forms and are given ribbons to wear there is a memorial board made by the organiz ers and run participants it brings tears to our eyes as we read the messages dedications are made to those who have won their batde and those who have not pictures accompany many of the notes and we are reminded cancer touches young and old alike words cant express what we are looking at we are moved by the spirit around us we think of aunt ruby and grandpa kaunismaa who have won their battles with cancer we think of other family members and friends still fighting we make our own dedica tion page in loving memory of my cousin greg fergueson who passed away last week of non hodgkins lymphoma and his family he was 47 and died on his sons seventh birthday he had seven children runners bikeriders roller bladers and walkers are readying themselves in their gear the area is swarming with volunteers all helping with the many tasks of this organized event run organizer sandy schell kennedy kicks off the run with words of inspira tion she talks about terry one of canadas greatest heroes we remember our own heroes terry ran 42k a day for 143 straight days on one leg this years theme how far will you go challenges tru li e to fe the participants to compare their own distance with the more than 5000 km terry ran we feel overwhelmed by that comparison but are proud to be a part of his lega cy- we are asked to think about our reasons for being there we think of greg and his family we think of aunt ruby and grandpa kaunismaa who have won their battles with cancer we think of other family members and friends still fighting we need a kleenex before the run starts luckily grammie is near by she will be our own cheering section rob emily and jackson leave with the first group on their bikes they finish the circuit twice for a total of 20k emily could barely do one circuit last year she enjoys the bike ride with her brother and dad she is learning about the importance of this event she is moved in her own way and im reminded that at eight shes wise beyond her years rachel and i are lined up at the start line with the rest of the runners we look offi cial in our matching terry foxtshirts and shorts at 1 1 rachel is among the youngest if not the youngest running we see many of her friends none of them have taken up the chal lenge of trying to run this long course she remains unsure 10k is far she knows it she starts off fast and maintains a nice pace we talk while we are running we think about greg and penny we talk about the kids we run harder wishing we could do more we pass the first water advertising teature 5 msi si iv v wb markham stouffville hospital foundation recently received a 2000 cheque from ing insurance as the result of a holeinone at a golf tournamentf the occa sion was celebrated by left to right michael kosturik from ing insurance shelley hoeg josie corpuz moreen wright marilyn brailsford nancy doyle and lynn woods from the chemo clinic at msh larry collins from collins rankin insurance and murray bozniak on behalf of susan bozniak station rachel is not ready for a break friends we are running with ask me if i think she can do this i point to rachel in response they see the determination of this little girl for themselves we pass the halfway point and slow down a little rachel is getting tired but a short power walk reener gizes her at this point she has already run farther than ever before we stop at the next water station and get cheered on by friends neighbours and well- wishers we pass a crowd of rachels friends they cant believe she is running she goes faster as they marvel at her around the next corner too much water has now given her a stitch in her side we talk about how far she has come we talk about how few people can actually run this far we walk through her stitch the short break has remedied the situation we are at the threequar ter point and have enough strength to continue we see people cheating on the course taking short cuts means they miss the water stations which are strategically placed it gives us a little laugh as we down our muchneeded water its like nectar of the gods not once are we tempted to cheat we will run every step of this 10k as we continue i see rachel is hurting she alters her gait into a skip i ask if she is limping because of pain in her legs she explains its a technique given to her by her coach to conserve energy she wants to stop run ning but doesnt i ask her if she wants to hold hands so i can help her run her answer an emphatic no shes doing this run one way on her own steam rachels cramps return and make her wonder why she is out here she now tells me she wishes she had rid den her bike i feel her pain and under stand she is experiencing the mental side of this running game she blames me for forcing her to do this i remind her why she wanted to do this i encourage her i tell her we are almost done she asks me how much longer i say about 10 minutes she is no longer annoyed with me she digs deep next comes a burst of newfound energy we can now see the finish line she starts to sprint her trademark way of finishing i cant keep up my daugh ter is about to beat me it makes me proud i see my mom i start sprinting too congratulations abound as we reach the finish i look at my watch our time is one hour and five minutes we aire happy with that we greet our family and friends at the end rachel is very quiet i think shes too tired to talk im wrong i turn around and see her doing laps of the track on emilys bike and catching up with a friend of hers well talk later and share thoughts about what we have just done together at the run tent the chil dren are given jos louis cakes go figure and apples they have earned a cer tificate of completion our sense of accomplishment feels better than a certificate we look at our pledge sheets and feel proud we have contributed to a great cause and are now part of an amazing legacy today represented some thing different to each of us some of which remains nnspoken words cant prop erly describe this experience we were a small part of a worldwide initiative started by terry fox in a big little town called stouffville thanks to all of you for your love and support susan kaunismaa is a resident of whitchurchstouffville door crasher sat sept 25 930 am 1 130 am while quantities last save an additional off the already reduced prices on all televisions door crashers sun sept 26 12 noon 200 pm while quantities last save an additional 39 off the already reduced prices on all luggage save an additional 30 the already reduced prices on all tools weekend specials fri september 24 to sun september 2604 while quantities last save an additional the already- reduced prices on selected microwave ovens save an additional the already reduced prices on selected cameras excludes digital cameras 83648 7inl styling set curling iron was 2999 now1799ea save an additional 30 off the already reduced prices on all mens dress pants dress shirts blazers ties just arrived winter boots winter outerwear for the entire family personal shopping only all merchandise sold as is and ailsales are final no exchanges returns or adjustments on previously purchased merchandise savings oilers cannot be combined no dealers ve reserve the right to limit quantities prices do not include home delivery although we strive for accuracy unintentional errors may occur ve reserve the right to correct any error reg was and sears selling price refer to the sears catalogue or retail store price current at time of merchandise receipt offers valid at sears shops on steeles 404 outlet store shown only merchandise selection varies by store for other hot deals visit the outlet site at wwwsearsca markham outlet store shops on steeles 404 kuh h store hours monfri 1000 am 9 pm sat 930 am 6 pm sun 12 noon 5 pm sea rsrc t mq ctftiffu smh cm he m04 sale pwces in effect today friday sept 24 lfcoo am until sunday sept 262004 at 500 rm unucmttr wise stated in our ad ok wmle quantities last satf does not amy to purchases made prk to nfflay sot 24 2004 m