TORONTO, Ont. — Penske Truck Rental has announced its support of the 25^th anniversary of Rick Hansen’s Man In Motion Relay Tour. 

Beginning Aug. 24 in Cape Spear, Nfld., the relay will include about 7,000 participants from across the country that will retrace the Canadian segment of Hansen’s original tour.

Penske will be providing transportation support to accompany and assist the cross-Canada tour.

“We’re pleased to be involved in this event that supports not only diversity and inclusion but giving back to our communities,” said Jason Schappert, a Penske district manager in Burnaby, B.C. “Rick Hansen is a national hero and an inspiration to Canadians and people overcoming challenges everywhere.”

This anniversary event fully recreates the original Man In Motion cross-Canada tour that spanned 12,000 kilometers from coast to coast. The relay will travel through more than 600 communities, visit every capital city and touch all provinces and territories and reach more than 70% of the Canadian population.

The relay tour will also engage approximately 7,000 medal-bearers, who will cover an average of 40 to 80 kilometres a day, making their way across the country passing a singular Rick Hansen Medal to the next participant.

Penske associates like British Columbia-based lease sales representative Teresa Thompson also plan to participate in supporting the event as it spans across different stages of the country.

“Rick Hansen’s story is truly inspiring and I’m excited to be able to take part in this event as a participant,” said Thompson.

Hansen sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI) in a car crash at age 15 that left him paralyzed from the waist down. After months of rehabilitation, Hansen returned to his “first passion”: sports. He went on to win 19 international wheelchair marathons, including six medals as a Paralympian.

Hansen set out on his original Man In Motion World Tour on March 21, 1985, wheeling more than 40,000 km through 34 countries, raising $26 million for SCI research and quality of life programs.