A couple dozen athletes and several of their dogs braved the blustery rains on Sunday, Sept. 16 to participate in the annual Terry Fox Run in Gibsons.
Mary Findlay organized the event, which was held at Brothers Park, outside the Gibsons and Area Community Centre.
Among the runners was Martial Guillard, an integrative oncology research scientist with the BC Cancer Agency, which receives donations from the Terry Fox Foundation. This year he brought posters with him to the run that explain the agency’s research. Guillard, who commutes to Vancouver for work and is a “fan of Mr. Fox,” said the aim of the posters was to “make people feel more confident” about understanding the research.
Other participants included Jane and Guy Perry and their dog, Splash, a golden doodle who has joined the couple for 12 Terry Fox runs. The Perrys, who have participated in almost 30 Terry Fox runs, said they were in high school when Fox embarked on his attempt to run across Canada and have been motivated to contribute ever since. Jane Perry also helps organize the Terry Fox Run at Langdale Elementary.
Terry Fox was a varsity athlete who was diagnosed with cancer, and eventually lost his leg because of it. In 1980, he embarked on his Marathon of Hope – an attempt to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He began his journey in St. John’s N.L., but was forced to stop in Thunder Bay, Ont., as his illness progressed, and nine months later, he died.
As of Jan. 2018, more than $750 million has been raised in his honour.
