The 28th annual Terry Fox Run, which raises money for cancer research, will take place Sunday, Sept. 13, in both Roberts Creek and Gibsons.
The Roberts Creek 10 km run begins at 10 a.m., starting and finishing at Roberts Creek Elementary School. This will allow runners to run around the school's gravel loop and in the quiet local streets. Participants can register at 9:30 a.m. Participants who aren't competing officially can run anytime between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Non-runners are welcome to walk, jog, bike or wheel. Local businesses have donated a number of draw prizes for this event.
For more details on the Roberts Creek run, contact volunteer organizer Michael Metcalfe at 604-885-3131 or email mmetcalfe@dccnet.com.
In Gibsons, the run at 10 a.m. will feature Chris Dempster, who recently completed a cross-Canada bike ride for Ronald McDonald House. This year, the focus for the Gibsons event is participating. Choose among the one, three, five or 10 km distances and walk, run, stroll, bike or wheel. Warm-up and refreshments start at 9 a.m. at the Gibsons and Area Community Centre. For more details on the Gibsons event, contact volunteer organizers Mary Findlay or Don Bland at 604-886-7574 or email homedbland@dccnet.com.
For both runs, participants are encouraged to make donations or seek pledges. Pledge forms are available at Trail Bay Source for Sports, Pharmasave, Strait Coffee and the Medicine Shoppe and from the office of Dr. Bland in Gibsons at 632 Farnham Rd. weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Funds raised go towards research for a range of types of cancer. According to the Terry Fox Foundation, since 1998, $22 million has been raised for lung cancer research, $62 million for breast cancer research and $41 million for prostate cancer research. Substantial amounts have also been raised for ovarian, colorectal and pancreatic cancer research.
Fox is a national and international icon, who ran across Canada on a prosthetic leg in his 1980 Marathon of Hope to raise money for cancer research. Fox started in St. John's, Nfld., with the goal of running to Victoria, but his cancer metastasized during the course of his run and he was forced to stop just beyond Thunder Bay, Ont., running 143 days and a total of 5,373 kilometres. Every year, Terry Fox runs are held both in Canada and internationally. They constitute the largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research.
