With the shadow of a one-legged Canadian legend looming large in the wake of the 25th anniversary of his greatest achievement, another man is training to carry out a monumental task in a similar vein. He may never receive the same acclaim and prestige as Terry Fox did when he tried to cross Canada on one leg, but his efforts will not go unnoticed.

Michael Campbell is preparing to cycle across North America, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, and Fiji in the hopes of raising money for cancer research, and raise awareness of the terrors of the disease. Call him the modern-day, Northern Irish version of Terry Fox.

Campbell became motivated to fight cancer after losing his close friend, Nathan Hurst, and his mother to the deadly disease in 2001. These tragic events had a major impact on the direction the rest of Campbell’s life would take.

“Sometimes it takes a personal tragedy to get you motivated, to draw your attention to something that you may never have contemplated,” said Campbell. “If by doing these events I help even one person, then the effort will have been worthwhile. What a fitting memorial to my Mom and Nathan.”

The Irishman explained that the idea to cycle came from a proposed trip that he and Hurst, an Australian, had planned but never undertook: “In 1998 I was going to cycle from Perth to Sydney to meet up with Hurst, but I had to cancel the ride,” he said.

The journey for Campbell will be a lonely one, as he is traveling alone. He does not mind this fact, though, as it gives him flexibility and allows more of the money raised to go to charities.

“It is more of a challenge this way, with no one to argue with but yourself,” he said.

The cyclist is training for his upcoming marathon at U of T. He looked at various training facilities in the city before settling on the Athletic Centre, which he chose for its spacious facilities and friendly staff. He can currently be seen training for several hours a day there.

Money is the only difficult issue that remains for Campbell to overcome before beginning his quest. He is looking for cash sponsorship and donations to pay for his venture around the globe, and is hoping to have these issues sorted out soon so he can start his trek in October.

However, media attention has not been lacking for the charitable crusader. Many media outlets have agreed to cover his ride.

“So far I have secured the BBC, Men’s Health Magazine, Irish Connections, a prominent Irish American magazine, and the leading Northern Ireland daily to publicize my effort,” revealed Campbell. “But this is only the beginning. I will contact every major newspaper on route and call local radio and TV channels for coverage.”

Campbell’s cycling trip will most likely commence in October in Vancouver.

Those interested in donating to the cause can either go to Campbell’s website, www.bikedreams.org, which should be up and running within two weeks, or make a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society or the Terry Fox Foundation. Campbell does not mind if the money is donated to a cancer charity other than his own, as long as it is going to cancer research: “I don’t care where people put their money, as research is research wherever it takes place.