A few hundred Red Deerians raised thousands of dollars for cancer research through the annual Terry Fox Run.
The 44th annual edition of the event was held on Sunday. This year's run took participants from Gateway Christian School to McKenzie Trails and back — 5K runners did that loop once, while the 10K runners did it twice.
"It's amazing how the Terry Fox Run has continued all of these years. Terry has been identified as a Canadian hero. Rarely will you find a family that hasn't been touched by cancer in some way," said Loretta Winia, a member of the run organizing committee
Terry Fox was just 18 years old when he was diagnosed with bone cancer and had to have his right leg amputated. His personal experience motivated him to begin the Marathon of Hope in 1980, which was a cross-country run to raise money for cancer research.
Fox was unable to complete the Marathon of Hope outside Thunder Bay, Ont., when the cancer spread to his lungs — he died nine months later in June 1981. The Terry Fox Run then began in several communities across the country in September 1981 to honour Fox's legacy and continue raising money for cancer research.
Typically, 250-300 people participate in Red Deer's event each year, Winia noted.
"A lot of times people gather (at the Terry Fox Run) because of a family member who's been diagnosed with cancer or has passed away," she said.
"You see a lot of teams come together to support each other. It's an emotional day for them, whether they're celebrating the success someone has had with treatment or to honour someone (who has passed away)."
Heading into the event, about $20,000 had already been raised — the final fundraising total will be calculated in the coming days. All money raised will go towards the Terry Fox Foundation for cancer research.
"People have a great admiration for Terry Fox and I think that shows in the support we receive every year," said Winia.
"I think it's interesting that even kids who never experienced his marathon in real time are supporters. They learn about it in school and do school runs. It's amazing to see that it's kept going."
For more information on the Terry Fox Foundation, visit terryfox.org.
