May 22, 1987 - Rick Hansen - a podcast by Stephen Hammond

Rick Hansen completes his Man in Motion world tour.Rick Hansen was 15 years old the summer of 1973 when an automobile accident left him a paraplegic. Despite the setback, Hansen went on to become a top wheelchair athlete, winning numerous international wheelchair marathons and three world championships. He even competed for Canada in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Hansen’s greatest achievements, of course, were yet to come. On March 21, 1985, Hansen and a crew left the Oakridge Mall in Vancouver, B.C. to start his Man in Motion world tour, designed to raise funds for spinal cord injury research, rehabilitation and wheelchair sport. For two years, two months and two days, Hansen wheeled his way around the world, covering 40,072 kilometres. During his trek through 34 countries on four continents, Hansen covered between 50 and 70 kilometres per day, repaired 126 flat tires, wore out 94 gloves and was robbed four times. Crowds greeted him everywhere he went – including 800,000 cheering people in Tianjin, China. In August 1986, Hansen made it to Cape Spear, Newfoundland, ready for the cross-Canada segment that would bring him home... It is fitting that the 13,861 kilometres wheeled in Canada represented the longest distance he traveled in any country on his tour. On May 22, 1987, Hansen and his crew completed their tour in Vancouver, having raised more than $26 million for their causes. The tour’s end marked the launch of the Rick Hansen Man in Motion Foundation, with Hansen as the CEO.

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