Terry Fox continues to inspire

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Published on Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Photo by Allen Gillies
By Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Press

Thirty-seven years after the inaugural Marathon of Hope, the legacy of Terry Fox continues to inspire our nation. That inspiration was on full display recently in Neepawa, as 75 people took to the streets on Sunday, Sept. 17, to be a part of the annual Terry Fox Run.

Local run coordinator Kelly Krzyzaniak said about $7,000 was brought in from the day, which raises money for cancer research and celebrates the memory of Fox and his Marathon of Hope. Krzyzaniak noted that the local fundraising result is on par with what was raised in 2016.

Neepawa’s Terry Fox Run began at 2:00 p.m. at the Neepawa Area Collegiate Institute (NACI) track. The route was five kilometre in length and was accessible for wheel chairs, bicycles and rollerblades. To date, more than $650 million has been raised globally for cancer research in Fox’s name.

Terry Fox ran up to 42 kilometres a day through his journey west across Canada, which started on April 12, 1980 in St. Johns Newfoundland.

On Sept. 1, 1980, Fox was forced to stop his cross country journey just outside of Thunder Bay, Ont., because cancer appeared in his lungs. Even though Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope never made it to Manitoba, the run is still strongly supported throughout the province.