Local residents will be among hundreds of thousands from across Ontario expected to participate in the 35th Annual Terry Fox Run on Sept. 20.
The fundraising event is now considered an autumn Canadian tradition.
The following times and locations are listed at http://www.terryfox.org/Run/Ontario.html for Sept. 20.
Details may be subject to change, so participants are asked to confirm closer to the event date.
Unless otherwise listed, call 1-888-836-9786 for more information.
Arthur – Optimist Pavillion – Arthur Fairground. Registration at 12:30pm; open start 1pm to 4:30pm. Bicycle, rollerblade, and wheelchair accessible. Both 4km and 8km routes.
Drayton – Drayton Old Arena at the Fairgrounds (Elm Street). Registration from 12:30 to 1:25pm, One start, at 1:30pm. Bicycle, rollerblade, and wheelchair accessible. Both 2km and 10km routes.
Erin – Centre 2000. Registration at 8:30am. Open start 9am to 12:30pm. Bicycle accessible. Both 5km and 10km routes.
Fergus – Forfar Park – Gartshore Street and Forfar Street. Registration at 9am. One start at 10am. Bicycle and wheelchair accessible. Both 5km and 10km routes. Organizer Chris Mulligan chris@smpolymers.ca
Grand Valley – Grand Valley Community Centre – board room – Main Street. Registration at 9am. One start at 10am. Bicycle accessible. There are 3km, 5km and 10km routes.
Guelph – Silvercreek Park (corner of Wellington Street and Edinburgh Road). One start from 8am to 12:30pm. Bicycle and wheelchair accessible. A 10km route. Organizer David Picard, dgp@frontlinesafety.ca
Mount Forest – Mount Forest Lawn Bowling Club (King Street East). Bicycle, rollerblade and wheelchair accessible. Both 5km and 10km routes.
Palmerston – Palmerston Railway Heritage Museum – 166 William Street. Barbecue at noon. Open start from 8am to 2pm. Bicycle and rollerblade accessible. Partial wheelchair accessibility. There are 1km, 2km, 5km and 10km routes.
Rockwood – Waterside Park. Open start 12 to 2pm. Bicycle, rollerblade and wheelchair accessible. Both 5km and 10km routes. Organizer Steve Thomson, ssthomson@yahoo.com.
In 2014, millions of Ontarians participated in 220 community Terry Fox Runs and 4,000 school events, raising $12 million for cancer research.
2015 marks the 35th Terry Fox Run and the 35th Anniversary of Terry’s Marathon of Hope. Combined with the Canadian population reaching 35 million, the theme of this year’s run references the unusual convergence of dates and numbers: “35 for 35”.
Terry asked Canadians for a dollar per person. This year, the foundation extends that challenge again, with the goal of raising $35 million for cancer research.
In 2010, McKenna Modler of Lansdowne was diagnosed with brain cancer. “When they told me I couldn’t believe it, I remember being really scared. I needed surgery to insert a shunt to relieve the pressure in my brain and had to have 70 chemotherapy treatments for more than two years.”
Today, McKenna is a thriving 15-year-old and she expresses gratitude for the health she now enjoys.
“I often think about Terry Fox – what if he hadn’t raised money for cancer research? Would my treatments have been worse? Would they have even been able to treat my cancer? I am here today because Terry dedicated his life to helping people like me.”
On Sept. 20, hundreds of thousands of Terry Fox supporters will participate in their favourite Canadian tradition to ensure cancer research continues to forge ahead. From coast to coast, they will be working together to “outrun cancer.”
