The 2024 Terry Fox Run in Rockland is taking place in two weeks.
The event, which raises funds for cancer research, takes place on Sunday, Sept. 15, staring at Alain Potvin Park.
It is a five-kilometre loop that begins and ends at the park, located at 1245 Docteur Corbeil Boulevard in Morris Village. It runs from 9 a.m. until noon.
“This isn’t anything competitive, we want people to participate at their own pace,” said Richard Campeau, who is leading the organizing committee for this year’s fundraising event in Rockland. “We want people to come out and have fun and help raise funds for a really good cause. We all know someone who has been impacted by cancer, and this really helps.”
Campeau said signs and advertising for the Terry Fox Run in Rockland have already been put up.
“It’s starting to ramp up,” he added. “Donations are coming in, and there is a lot of interest in having this.”
Residents are encouraged to run, jog, walk and use other means of getting around the five-kilometre loop.
Those who wish to participate can visit run.terryfox.ca/69804? So far the local event has earned $1,300 of its $10,000 goal.
The Terry Fox Story
In 1980, after having one leg amputated due to cancer, Terry Fox embarked on an east-to-west cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. While his cancer spread forcing him to end his quest after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres – and ultimately cost him his life – his efforts resulted in a worldwide legacy.
Fox raised $1.7 million (equivalent to $6 million in 2023) when he was forced to abandon the Marathon of Hope.
The annual Terry Fox Run, first held in 1981, has grown to millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world’s largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research.
The annual Terry Fox Run has become a fall tradition in Canada, with more than 650 communities, big and small, urban and rural, English and French, fundraising for cancer research.
Over $850 million has been raised in his name as of May 2022.
Schools across Canada were urged to join the second run, held on September 19, 1982. School participation has continued since, evolving into the National School Run Day.
