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Terry Fox Run at four Surrey sites this Sunday

Events at Fraser Heights, Fleetwood, Cloverdale and South Surrey on Sept. 16
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Terry Fox on his Marathon of Hope in 1980. (Photo: Terry Fox Foundation)

People will honour Canadian hero Terry Fox in four corners of Surrey this weekend.

The 38th annual Terry Fox Run will take place Sunday (Sept. 16) — known as “national run day” — at locations in Fraser Heights, Fleetwood, Cloverdale and South Surrey.

“The Terry Fox Run has been with us in Surrey since 1986,” noted Donna White, director of the organization’s British Columbia/Yukon region. “An astounding $550,000 has been raised at the Surrey runs for innovative cancer research.”

Cloverdale’s event will start from the Legion building at 17567 57th Ave., while Fleetwood Park (at 15802 80th Ave.) is host to a separate event. Runs will also be held at Fraser Heights Recreation Centre (10588 160th St.) and South Surrey Athletic Park. No event will be held at Bear Creek Park in Newton this year. To get involved, visit terryfox.org/run.

• RELATED STORY: Terry Fox’s story through the eyes of his younger brother, Darrell Fox, from 2017.

Fox had a dream of a world without cancer, and in the spring of 1980 set out to run across Canada during his Marathon of Hope. His right leg taken from him by cancer, he ran the equivalent of a marathon a day for 143 days straight, to raise awareness of the need for cancer research funding. When his own cancer spread, Terry was forced to stop running but his journey and his dream to find a cure for cancer lives on.

Terrance Stanley Fox was born in Winnipeg on July 28, 1958, and later grew up in Port Coquitlam. Post-Marathon of Hope, following treatment with chemotherapy and interferon, Fox died at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster on June 28, 1981, one month short of his 23rd birthday.

CLICK HERE to read more about Fox and his Marathon of Hope.

Today, the Terry Fox Foundation continues to raise money to find a cure for cancer.

“The Runs are a non-competitive, all-inclusive, family oriented activity where participants can run, walk, blade or bike,” a foundation release notes. “Registration is by donation and there is no minimum pledge amount. Participants have the option to be recognized as a corporate team, individual participants, or even a member of ‘Terry’s Team’ of cancer survivors. Every participant is a special part of the cause, as living proof that cancer research saves lives.”

By joining, “you will be an integral part of carrying Terry’s torch and helping your community contribute to the $750 million already raised for cancer research worldwide.”



Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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