People in Nanaimo and more than 500 other communities across Canada laced up their sneakers today to participate in the Terry Fox Run.
Nanaimo's run was held Sunday, Sept. 15, at Bowen Park, with runners and walkers gathering to take on a 1.5-kilometre route along the park's trails.
Mayor Leonard Krog said this year's turnout speaks to the quality of the community and he said he was happy to see so many people carrying on Terry Fox's legacy.
"I suspect there's not a person here whose family has not been touched by cancer, and sometimes in a dreadful way," the mayor said. "But the stories are often positive, too, as treatment improves … It is about hope for a cure."
Krog said Nanaimo is a community that's willing to put its money where its mouth is when the cause is right, and said fundraising for cancer research is the right cause.
"You remind one another and you remind your fellow Canadians that we are never without hope, that this a community that cares," he said.
According to a press release from the Terry Fox Foundation, approximately 3.6 million Canadians were expected to participate in a Terry Fox Run this year, whether it be in their community or school. The theme for the 44th annual Terry Fox Run was 'No Matter What,' celebrating the hero's strength and perseverance no matter what came his way.
“Terry’s steadfast determination, no matter the challenges or circumstances, has acted as a source of inspiration for Canadians of all ages since he set out on his Marathon of Hope in 1980,” said Fred Fox, Terry’s older brother, in the release. “It’s always amazing to see the millions of Canadians, from coast to coast to coast, embodying Terry’s mindset every year by participating in the annual Terry Fox Run and raising funds for cancer research: no matter what.”
For more information, visit http://terryfox.org.
