Runner inspired by Terry Fox laces up in Winnipeg as part of plan to run 10 marathons in 10 days

An ultra-marathoner inspired by Terry Fox's brisk marathon-a-day pace arrived in Winnipeg Friday.

Running his seventh marathon and visiting his seventh province in as many days on Friday morning, Trois-Rivières, Que.'s Patrick Charlebois shaved 11 minutes off his time from the day before, finishing his Winnipeg marathon in 3:05:31.

He said he is inspired by Fox, the young man he watched in awe when he was 10 years old. During his 1980 Marathon of Hope, Fox ran a full marathon — 42 kilometres — every day.

"I wanted to make some kind of a tribute to that national hero," said Charlebois, who has previously run seven marathons in seven days on seven continents.

"That's why we started in St. John's, where he started the Marathon of Hope, and I'm going to end in Vancouver … running with Darrell Fox, Terry's brother," he said. "I guess it's the closest you can get to Terry Fox."

Charlebois is following Fox's lead by raising money for cancer research.

"In every city we try to make some noise and ask people to make donations," Charlebois said Friday in Fox's hometown. "It makes a difference in the lives of a lot of Canadians."

Charlebois started his own cross-country expedition like Fox, scooping a jug of water from the Atlantic Ocean that he plans to pour into the Pacific Ocean once his journey concludes.

He begins each day with 15 pushups, in honour of Fox, who used the same number of pushups to motivate himself.

In Charlebois's first visit to Winnipeg, he ran back and forth along Lyndale Drive 20 times, overlooking the winding Red River. He chose the park because local runners recommended the path.

"It's my first time here this morning and I don't regret so far the choice," he said before setting off.

Charlebois will next run in Regina on Saturday, Calgary on Sunday and Vancouver on Monday. 

Visit his website for more information on his journey.