4,632 kilometres later, Montreal Runners hit finish line
They did it. Six young men ran 4,632 kilometres from Montreal to Vancouver in 30 days to raise money for the Terry Fox Foundation. They are called the Montreal Runners and they crossed the finish line at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, June 30.
They ran the seemingly endless flat expanses of the prairies and they conquered the fiercely challenging inclines and descents of the Rockies.
The schedule was brutal — 180 km a day in five-kilometre shifts with two runners on the road.
The Montreal Runners are Akshay Grover, Keiston Herchel, Declan McCool, Marc-André Blouin, Muhan Patel and Matthieu Blouin. Grover and Herchel did the advance planning and were in charge of logistics throughout the run, finding places to sleep and eat and capturing the attention of media outlets when possible. Grover was also the cameraman. A documentary is in the works.
When they weren’t running, they were napping in or driving one of their two vans. They drank copious quantities of water and sports drinks, but kept the eating to a minimum to avoid stomach upset. Granola bars kept them going.
Grover, who lives in Dollard-desOrmeaux, said the hospitality offered by Canadians along the way was uplifting. The runners were offered food and board for free or at a discount most of the way. And when one of the vans got a flat tire, the only available garage was closed, but the owner graciously came to the rescue.
“We accomplished our mission,” Grover said. “The run was about raising money for cancer research, Canadians helping Canadians, and the promotion of youth empowerment.”
Terry Fox lost a leg to cancer. In 1980 he set out to run across Canada on an artificial leg. He managed to run 5,373 kilometres in 143 days before being forced to stop because the cancer had spread. He died in 1981 at age 22. Terry Fox runs take place all over the world every year and have raised more than $750 million for cancer research. The Montreal Runners wanted to pay tribute to his heroic effort.
“Long distance running is not only about the physical challenge, it’s a huge mental game as well,” Grover said.
The run took its toll on the runners. There were injuries.
“The first crazy hill was in Ontario,” Grover said. “(The Blouin brothers and McCool) were injured running down that one. Running downhill — putting on the brakes — puts tremendous strain on the knees.”
The Rockies were tough, but impressive.
“We climbed one 1,700-metre elevation and there was snow,” Grover said with a laugh. “Most of us had never visited the West. It was amazing to see.”
By the time the runners hit the mountains, they were exhausted and morale was at an all-time low. The adrenalin returned after they received a surprise visit from Terry Fox’s brother Fred. He’d driven seven hours to join them for a day.
Then, with three days to go, Herchel fell and sustained a serious knee injury. He refused to give up, devising a sort of hop-and-hobble gait to complete the last 90 km.
They crossed the finish line and immediately formed a circle. They stood in silence, arms around each others’ shoulders, for two minutes. And then it was done.
“Keiston’s parents were there to greet him with crutches,” Grover said. “Declan’s mom and (the twins’) parents also surprised them by flying out to see the race finish.”
It’s not Grover’s first long-distance run. He has raised money for charities by running from Montreal to Toronto, and Montreal to Washington D.C. The Blouin twins, from Pierrefonds, also ran to Washington D.C.
So what’s next? “I have to clean the vans,” Grover said. “And then I have 120 hours of footage to edit.”
There will be school visits to talk about the experience and there are discussions with the Terry Fox Foundation about a possible Canada-wide tour.
So far, the six have raised just shy of 50 per cent of their $50,000 goal.
To donate, visit www.terryfox. ca/themontrealrunners. For more information visit The Montreal Runners Facebook page or www. runtovancouver.com.