The Strathmore Run Club will host Strathmore's 2022 Terry Fox Run on Sept. 18. The run will take place in Kinsmen Park.

The Terry Fox run is an annual tradition all across Canada to honor the legacy of Terry Fox's "Marathon of Hope", a run across Canada which took place in 1980. Fox's goal was to raise awareness about the importance of finding a cure for cancer. Despite having an amputated leg due to bone cancer, Fox ran an average of 42 kilometres 143 days in a row. Unfortunately, he had to end his run on September 1 when the cancer spread to his lungs. By the end of his run Fox had gone all the way from St. Johns, Newfoundland, to Thunder Bay, Ontario. 

Strathmore's version of the run will provide a non-competitive, family oriented 5 kilometre run, as well as a 1 kilometre event. President of the Strathmore Run Club Diana Baird hopes the entire community will join in to raise money and awareness for cancer.

"Anyone is invited to come and participate. Walkers, runners, people in wheelchairs, mobility issue people, it's all going to be done on pathways so it should be very simple for everybody to maneuver the courses," she said.

There are over 900 Terry Fox runs that happen all across Canada, and Baird hopes that Strathmore will be able to contribute to Fox's dream of creating a cancer free world. She explained that one of Fox's big messages was that it can happen to anybody, and having the entire community's support is very important.

"He wanted every Canadian to realize that cancer can come back, it can occur in anybody, including an ordinary man who was raising money for cancer. So I think that's so poignant that it can happen to anybody, whether its a child, an adult... I think everybody knows somebody who's been affected by cancer, and I think it's so important that we do our little part, however little it is, to help on the cause and get rid of this cancer."

Fox hoped to raise $1 from every Canadian for cancer research. If Strathmore were to do this, we would raise over $14 000. To raise money, the Strathmore Run Club will be accepting donations online and in person at the event, as well as selling t-shirts. All the money will be going to the Terry Fox National Organization.

While raising money is important, Baird explains that you don't have to donate to participate. She believes that spreading awareness is also important, so she hopes everyone will participate regardless of whether they are able to donate or not.

"I think it's so important, especially for younger people because they weren't alive when Terry Fox did this phenomenal feat. The older generation knows about Terry and we remember when he was actually doing the Marathon of Hope, but the younger generation needs to see what an awesome Canadian Terry was."

If you're interested in donating or registering for the run, you can do so here. You can also check out their Facebook page for more information.

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