On March 21, 1985, world-class wheelchair marathoner and Paralympic medalist Rick Hansen set out from Vancouver on his Man In Motion World Tour. The twenty-six-month trek took him and a small but determined crew almost 25,000 miles through thirty-four countries on four continents before crossing Canada. In the process, they raised $26 million for spinal cord research and for initiatives to improve the quality of life and accessibility for people with disabilities.
Thirty years after the end of the journey, a new book entitled Rick Hansen’s Man In Motion World Tour has been released to celebrate Hansen’s groundbreaking accomplishment and the progress it has spurred up to the present day. Here are some of our favourite photos from the book:
1. Man in Motion HQ
This motorhome donated by Vancouver businessman Jim Pattison became the Tour’s rolling headquarters as Rick and the road crew crossed the United States.
2. World in Motion–World in Touch
Expo 86, the World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, was held? in Vancouver between May and October 1986. Rick was inspired by its theme, “World in Motion–World in Touch,” and the organizers provided early support for the Man In Motion Tour.
3. Rick at the Great Wall
Here’s looking at you, kid. Rick shares a toast on the Great Wall of China.
4. The Brownies of Princeton, BC
Rick meets with enthusiastic Brownies in Princeton, BC. With just over a week to go before the end?of the Tour, everyone was curious to meet the man who had just set a Guinness World Record for the longest wheelchair marathon.
5. A standing ovation at BC Place
The following day, Rick is welcomed home by a crowd of 50,000 people at a free public celebration at BC Place Stadium?in Vancouver. He receives a standing ovation. The event is televised nationally and the Vancouver Sun issues a special edition devoted to the Tour.
All photographs courtesy of the Rick Hansen Foundation, with contributions from John and Joan Tennant, Harvey Glanville, Dave Doroghy, Maureen Shaughnessy Kitts, Nancy Thompson, Tim Frick, and Bob Redford.
Excerpted from Rick Hansen’s Man In Motion World Tour: 30 Years Later—A Celebration of Courage, Strength, and the Power of Community. Written by Jake MacDonald with a foreword by Rick Hansen and published September 2017 by Greystone Books. Reproduced here with permission from the publisher.
