Terry Fox Run

A Marathon of Hope

The signs are up the volunteers are in place now all that is needed to make this years run a success is your commitment to run or sponsor a runner.

Registration is 8:15 am at the Elgin Park Bandshell

Start time is 9:00am

You can run walk or bike a scenic route with loopd that are 2, 5 or 10 km in length. 

As I sit here writing this I can't help but remember some of the stats from the Stand Up 2 Cancer Fund Raiser on TV a few nights ago. One person dies every minute from cancer in the US alone. Take a few minutes and check it out. Lets get rid of cancer. If you missed the show take a few moments and go to their web site to see what they are doing.

A little over a year ago I attended A Tribute to Julie Slater as it was time to pass on the reigns. She had been the driving force for the Terry Fox Run in Uxbridge for a quarter century.

The Pit Stop

Julie and Mrs. Fox

The Awards

ABOUT TERRY FOX

Terry Fox was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the knee in 1977. While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

Terry was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. An active teenager, Terry had been involved in many sports in Port Coquitlam, a community near Vancouver, British Columbia, on Canada's west coast, where he was raised

He called his journey the Marathon of Hope.

Terry spent 18 months running over 5,000 kilometres (3,107 miles) to prepare for this monumental task. Starting his run with little fanfare in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 he ran 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario.

Although it was difficult to garner attention in the beginning, enthusiasm soon grew, and the money collected along his route began to mount. It was a journey that Canadians have never forgotten.

September 1st, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles), Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. The entire nation was stunned and saddened.

Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at age 22, this heroic Canadian was gone, but his legacy had just begun. The annual Terry Fox Run, held across Canada and around the world, has raised more than $400 million worldwide for cancer research in Terry's name.