Cuba Politics News and Information
Cuban News Agency
The slower ones made it to the finish line in front of the Kid Chocolate sports center in Havana either walking or in wheelchairs, half an hour after Radio Reloj radio station gave the signal at 10am this Saturday for the 10th Terry Fox Marathon of Hope to begin simultaneously in some 5000 locations throughout Cuba.
In all 169 municipalities of the country and the tourist resorts of Varadero, Cienfuegos, Ciego de Avila and Holguin, volunteers ran to raise funds for cancer research and pay homage to Terry Fox, who pioneered a cross-Canada run to raise money for this purpose in 1980.
The president and scientific director of Canada’s Terry Fox cancer research center, Victor Ling, and the president of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Michael Chambers, attended the run in Havana.
Cuba’s Marathon of Hope, as Terry Fox’s historic run was originally called, boasts the largest number of participants outside of Canada. Last year over one million people participated for no other prize than the joy of promoting a healthier life style.
Proceeds worth $140,000 from previous Terry Fox Runs in Cuba have been allocated to research at the National Oncology and Radiology Center.
I have never heard of this in all the years that I have been covering Cuba.
Does anyone know about this? It seems odd to me that the Cuban government would let that many foreigners into the country for ANY organized event let alone one that is spread over 5000 locations in Cuba???
Also, why would a marathon run be spread out over 5000 locations?
This story makes no sense.
http://www.cubanews.ain.cu/2008/0315terryfox.htm
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i was in Cuba at this time the past two years, never heard a thing. my wife (Cuban) just recently got out and she said it’s very unlikely.
Thanks. So I wonder why this is a news story from the Cuban News Agency. I know it’s all propaganda but never 100% fabricated.
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just spoke with my in laws in Cuba. it is partially true. they said in Havana up to two thousand people ran. this really surprised me, i’m a triathlete and in all my training runs in Havana only once did i see another runner on the street. they said several other provinces participated, but they laughed at the 5000 location story. maybe 5. a few bikes and wheelchairs also ran. some tourist also participated. i’m shocked.
Thanks for the insight. Hard to believe this story.
I guess it’s a good story. I don’t understand why the ridiculous exaggeration was added. No one would believe it.
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More info from the Cuban News Agency
Terry Fox Center’s President in Cuba for Marathon of Hope
Havana, March 13.- The President and scientific director of Canada’s Terry Fox cancer research center, Victor Ling is in Havana to attend the 10th Marathon of Hope scheduled for March 15.
Victor Ling is going to give a lecture at the Cuba-Canada Workshop on Cancer at the Hotel Nacional, in Havana.
Also present on the Terry Fox Run on Saturday along with Ling will be the president of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Michael Chambers, who arrived at Havana on Wednesday.
Carlos Gattorno, director of the organizing committee of the Race, told ACN, that some 30,000 people have volunteered to participate in the run, with the longest stretch being 3 kms and the shortest 1 km.
The signal will be given at 10 am on March 15 through the national radio station Radio Reloj to start at the same time in all the municipalities of the country, as well as rural and mountainous communities.
More than 5,000 runs are expected to take places throughout the country, said Gattorno.
In addition, foreign visitors have been invited to join the run as well in all the tourist facilities of the island, whose most important tourist market is Canada.
Gattorno explained that some of the objectives of the race were to promote healthier habits, improve the quality of life of the people and raise awareness of the importance of the fight against cancer.
He said the run will contribute to spread in Cuba the spirit and tenacity of the young Canadian Terry Fox, who made a cross-Canada run to raise money for cancer research.
As a consequence of the cancer in his knee, Fox’s right leg was amputated when he was only 18 years old. Three years after losing his leg, the young athlete decided to run from coast to coast in order to raise money for cancer research. He ran 42 Km a day for 143 days before being forced to stop in September, 1980. Ten months later he died.
The Terry Fox Run is a non-competitive event, and anyone can participate. People can either run or walk, go in wheel chairs, skates or bicycles.
The funds collected during the event are used in Cuba for breast and uterine-cervix cancer research, as those are the most common type of cancer among Cuban women.
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