SPORTS TALK: The Terry Fox legacy

By Greg Buchanan

This past weekend marked the 44th edition of the annual Terry Fox Run.

As a 14-year-old kid in Regina, I do remember the impact he had the year he hit Canadian Highways and how brokenhearted the country felt when his run ended as the cancer which took his leg spread to his lungs and later took his life.

How our country has changed since those days. Today, our roadways can often be filled with protesters and in many eyes our country needs positivity like Terry to bring us together again.

My memories were of Terry Fox running through rain and heat, as well as a meeting he had on the road with a young kid who—just like Terry—lost his leg to cancer. From a pure athletic standpoint, Terry Fox ran a marathon a day.

Image from The Terry Fox Foundation. Visit https://terryfox.org/

Since Terry Fox set off on his Marathon of Hope in 1980, countless everyday people from around the world have laced up to carry on the legacy, both in his memory and for anyone else who has been touched by cancer, directly or indirectly.

It’s a legacy that’s also carried on by the Terry Fox Foundation, a group that carries on Terry’s message, distributes donations to cancer research projects, and still sees the involvement of Terry’s family in the process.

That includes Terry’s older brother Fred, who still tours the world to talk about Terry’s story.

Fred sees Terry’s mission as simultaneously universal and fundamentally Canadian.

Terry was running not for himself, not to benefit in any way, but to make a difference and help other people. I think that’s what still resonates with so many people today.

The Terry Fox Foundation is a very grassroots organization. It’s all about the people, young and old, who volunteer. It’s a volunteer organization that wouldn’t exist without the thousands of volunteers who give their time every year.

Over $850 million has been raised for cancer research through the foundation, far beyond Terry’s initial goal. This has only been possible because of the continued support of people worldwide.

This is what the Terry Fox run is all about. Communities across Canada are still holding their own runs after all these years. Terry wanted us all to fundraise for cancer research, which will always be the goal.

Terry Fox ran 5,373 kilometres over 143 days before the spread of his cancer forced him to end his effort just outside of Thunder Bay. He died aged 22 on June 28, 1981.