Terry Fox would have been proud to see the hundreds of runners coming together for this year's Victoria Terry Fox Run.
Just a few dozen metres from the young manB次元官网网址檚 statue near the cityB次元官网网址檚 Mile Zero Monument, people of all ages set off under the radiant sun for the annual five-kilometre race along Dallas Road.
As the air horn blew shortly before 10:30 a.m. on the morning of Sept. 15, bagpipe players marked the beginning of the race.
While waiting for the participantsB次元官网网址� return, event organizer Darren Wark described this yearB次元官网网址檚 race as B次元官网网址渆xtremely successful.B次元官网网址� The man estimated the number of runners to be south of 1,000 and added that the event is on track to be the highest-grossing in its history.
B次元官网网址淚'd say we're probably about $15,000 more than last year,B次元官网网址� he said.
With an initial goal of raising $51,000 for cancer research, the runB次元官网网址檚 website showed a total of - 107 percent of the organizerB次元官网网址檚 target - and still counting.
Wark thanked participants, volunteers, and the 800 donors, who made this event a success.
B次元官网网址淭he support from Victoria has been fabulous and it's great to see everybody out here,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e've got one of the best-run locations in Canada; there are not many places where you've got the Pacific Ocean on your shoulder the whole way.B次元官网网址�
Numerous other runs were held across Canada and beyond today, including in Nanaimo, Parksville, Duncan, Port Hardy, and Campbell River.
In Terry FoxB次元官网网址檚 footsteps
Born in Winnipeg, Man., and raised in Port Coquitlam, B.C., Terry Fox was 18 years old when he was diagnosed with bone cancer and had to have his right leg amputated. His personal experience motivated him to raise money for cancer research, a move that took the form of the Marathon of Hope.
After months of training, Fox began his cross-country run in St. JohnB次元官网网址檚, N.L., garnering a frenzy of fans and media attention along the way.
In September 1980, after running for more than four months, Fox was forced to stop his marathon in Thunder Bay, Ont., after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died the next June at the age of 22.
But his story didnB次元官网网址檛 end there. Since the first Terry Fox Run in 1981, the event has grown exponentially. Now involving millions of participants across over 60 countries, it stands as the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research. The foundation has reported raising
Proud to be part of the fundraising effort, Wark emphasized that every dollar raised makes a difference in furthering cancer research.
B次元官网网址淲e all have a cancer story,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭here is a family that isn't impacted in some way by cancer. The research that is going on, because of the donations that people are making, is changing outcomes for folks.B次元官网网址�
- With files from the Canadian Press
