Into the Wind, an ESPN 30 for 30 Film, Shows Terry Fox Triumphing Over Adversity; Phoenix Suns Point Guard Steve Nash Co-Directed the Documentary

Into the Wind, the latest ESPN 30 for 30 film to air Tuesday night on the sports network, tells the compelling story of Canadian runner Terry Fox, with Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash co-directing with Ezra Holland. Steve Nash was a six year old and watched with anticipation the great quest of Terry Fox in 1980 to run with an artificial right leg across Canada. Into the Wind is an ESPN 30 for 30 film that will not only inspire runners, but anyone who faces tough odds in their own life. People will be moved to tears.

The ESPN 30 for 30 Film Into the Wind Shows the Human Spirit of Terry Fox Triumphing Over Adversity

When Terry Fox started his quest, no one really cared about his desire to raise money for cancer research. The media had to be prodded by his longtime friend from childhood Dog Alward to even cover the beginning. Alward and Fox became close after they began playing basketball together as kids, and with all the practices, Fox became a star player in school. But as a college player, he began to experience bad pain in his leg, which led to a diagnosis of a cancerous tumor. Amputation was the only option to save his life, and the ensuing chemotherapy weakened his heart. Still, his family recollects how he was the strong one for them all. The ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Into the Wind showed how Fox would eventually become determined to run across Canada, even as he struggled initially with his first artificial leg and had to push himself in training to run a marathon's worth of miles a every day over time.

This attempt to run across the great land started early each day at 4 am. Fox had to use more than one leg because of the wear and tear on the devices. Doug Alward would go across Canada with Terry Fox in a van, and the former remembered how being together all the time put a strain on their relationship. The heroic runner broke his day down into running a fixed set of miles before taking a break, doing speaking engagements, and then having to get back to running some 26 miles each day. There were days when only 10 dollars or so was raised and when very few, if anyone, showed up to meet him, as recollected on this ESPN 30 for 30 film Into the Wind. Candid diary entries of the runner were done via voiceover, as he logged his miles and memories of each day.

The ESPN 30 for 30 Film Into the Wind is a Powerful Documentary; Steve Nash's Co-Directorial Effort is a "Winning Jump Shot"

It would take hundreds and hundreds of miles of running before he'd capture the attention of Canada and the world, but all that attention would create its own share of problems and demands. The uplifting footage of Terry Fox running across Canada, old photographs and the interviews with those who knew and were touched by Fox really help weave a compelling tale. For those who don't know how this incredible quest turned out, there are repeats of Into the Wind scheduled to run. This approximately hour long movie co-directed by Steve Nash is worth the time to watch. You can find out more at the ESPN 30 for 30 website.

Sources:

"Into the Wind", ESPN 30 for 30, September 28, 2010, ESPN