Terry Fox Run Returns

For the second year the Sunrise Rotary and Rotary Ignite clubs are organizing the Terry Fox Run in Medicine Hat at the Medicine Hat College. Over six hundred Runs will take place across the country and in more than thirty other countries on Sunday September 15, with funds raised going to the Terry Fox Foundation for cancer research.

The Marathon of Hope took place in 1980 when Terry Fox hoped to run across Canada, from St. John's to Victoria, to bring awareness about cancer and the need for research funds to help find a cure. His leg had been amputated because of cancer so he ran a marathon a day on one leg. He had to give up his run in Thunder Bay when the cancer returned but before he died a year later, at age twenty-two, his dream of raising one dollar for every Canadian had been accomplished.

Runs have been held every year in communities across the nation and over ten thousand schools participate. Last year the local organizing committee had a goal of raising $7000 and were delighted when the community came together and tripled that amount. That was more than double the highest raised in the previous forty-three years of the event in the city. This year the goal set by the Terry Fox Foundation is $10,000, with hopes to exceed that again.

The Run takes place along the Sunrise Rotary Trail at the college, starting at 10:30am. As per Terry's wishes, this is not a competitive run (although serious runners are encouraged to keep their own times) and everyone is welcome. The Trail is flat so walkers, runners, joggers, bikers, skateboarders, wheelchairs, and dogs are all welcome. Groups are encourage to make it more fun by forming teams and challenging each other for fundraising.

Music, kids activities, healthy snacks will be provided. The Run will go rain or shine but the committee is hoping it will be bright, sunny, and warm, as it was last year.

To register, donate, or support a participant just Google "Terry Fox Run" and search for Medicine Hat as the run site; or go to run.terryfox.ca.

For further information contact the chair of the organizing committee, Keith Walker: kvwalker@telusplanet.net