Thousands of dollars are going towards cancer research after the Terry Fox Run in Fort Saskatchewan.
This annual event took place at West River’s Edge on Sunday (Sep. 17) and featured almost forty people looping the pond in 5 kilometre or 10 kilometre runs.
Despite the smoky weather the day before, the sky was clear for the day of the run.
Justine Wright, a volunteer who helped put on the event, said they also allowed for bicycles, rollerblades, wheelchairs, and leashed dogs.
“We’ve had a lot of the same people in regard to donations. A lot of family teams get involved,” said Wright.
In total, they raised $6,035, just shy of their $8,000 goal.
“It’s always been about the families that are involved to raise awareness for cancer research, and I consider the Terry Fox Foundation to be one of the purer foundations out there. They’re still very much attached to schools.”
The Terry Fox Run is named after Canadian cancer activist Terry Fox, who lost his leg at the age of 19 to cancer. Fox decided to raise awareness and funds for cancer research by attempting to run across the country.
He ran for 143 days before the cancer spread to his lungs. He ended his run in Thunder Bay, Ontario, after running for over 5,000 kilometres, which is the equivalent of a marathon every day.
Fox passed away at the age of 22, raising $1.7 million for his cause. However, since the Terry Fox Foundation began, they’ve raised over $750 million for cancer research.
