Volunteers, participants gear up for Terry Fox Run in Kamloops and the Okanagan

PENTICTON – The annual Terry Fox Run returns to Kamloops, Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton later this month.

This is the 39th year for the non-competitive run which is all-inclusive. The run includes family-oriented activities and participants can walk, run, blade or bike.

The Terry Fox Run takes place across Canada on Sunday, Sept. 15 as an annual event that has become the largest cancer research fundraiser in the world, with 33 countries participating across five continents.

Registration for this year’s race can be done online at terryfox.org. Entrants can enter one kilometre, two km or five km distances.

• In Kamloops, registration opens at 9 a.m. with the run start at 10 a.m. at Riverside Park. Participants should meet at the bandshell.
• In Vernon, registration begins at 9 a.m. with the run getting underway at 10 a.m. at Marshall Fields, 6891 Okanagan Landing Road.
• In Kelowna, registration gets underway at 10 a.m. with the race beginning at 11 a.m. at Mission Recreation Park, 940 Lexington Drive.
• In Penticton, registration gets underway at the SS Sicamous at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15, with the race start at 10 a.m.

Terry Fox was diagnosed with bone cancer in 1977 and had his right leg amputated. While in hospital he became motivated to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

Fox’s original Marathon of Hope in 1980 ended near Thunder Bay when it was determined Terry’s cancer had spread to his lungs. He died in June 1981, leaving a legacy that included his original fundraising effort of $24.17 million, the annual run in his name, the Terry Fox Foundation and the Terry Fox Research Institute, all devoted towards cancer research.

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