Aug
30
By Josie Bannerman
Steve Fonyo and Lisa Greenwood's wedding on Saturday August 28 went off without a hitch. The weather co-operated, and the setting was spectacular. A crowd of family, friends and well-wishers cheered as the groom, then the bride walked down the steps to the beach.
Many of the people who came to the wedding had their own personal reasons for attending, and positive memories of Steve Fonyo's achievement to share. Fonyo, who lost a leg to cancer, ran across Canada in 1984-85, raising $14 million for cancer research.
One of the people attending the wedding was Steve Rookyard, pictured below. Twenty-five years ago, Rookyard was a student at Central High School in Victoria. "I was a bit of a jock in those days," he said. Rookyard ran cross-country, as well as track and field, and he was chosen to be a member of the school honour guard that ran the last 10 kilometers of the Journey for Lives marathon with Steve Fonyo.
Rookyard recalled waiting in the rain on May 29, 1985 out by View Royal overpass on the Pat Bay Highway for Fonyo to arrive. On the run into town, he reminisced, kids from local elementary schools lined the route. "Lots of them didn't really know who Steve Fonyo was," he said. "When they saw me running along, they thought I was Fonyo!" Accompanying Fonyo on the last leg of his journey was a highlight for Rookyard.
My own memories of May 29, 1985 are not quite so personal as Rookyard's. I lived on Government Street, just a few blocks from the shore where Steve dipped his foot into the Pacific and ended his run.
Do you have photos or memories of Steve Fonyo's run, or of his wedding that you would like to share? If yes, email them to the Beacon at jbbeacon@shaw.ca with the subject line "Fonyo Memories".