Forty years ago today, Terry Fox had to stop his Marathon of Hope when his cancer returned. He promised us all that if there was any way he could finish, he would. It was not to be. Canadians made a promise of their own on September 1st, 1980 – Terry’s dream of a world free of cancer would keep going without him. And it has.
2020 marks the 40th anniversary of the Terry Fox Run and it is going to look a lot different this year. Even though we can’t run together, Oakville residents are invited and encouraged to honour Terry Fox’s wish and continue his Marathon of Hope to raise money for cancer research in new, creative ways.
This year, the Terry Fox Foundation has introduced a mobile app to fuel some friendly and fun competition among Canadians leading up to Run day on September 20. Powered by MoveSpring, the app allows you to take part in step and distance challenges and gives you access to supporters and plenty of inspiration for planning your own virtual event. It also tracks your donations.
Go to www.oakvillechallenge.com, ideally on your phone, and it will take you to the app and challenge. You can then sync your Garmin, Fitbit, Apple Watch, Apple health app, or input the info manually. The Oakville Terry Fox Run is aiming to collectively cover 5,373 km -- the same distance the Terry covered in his Marathon of Hope.
The next step is to start fundraising. Ask friends, family, co-workers and neighbours to sponsor your efforts and share your link on social media platforms or by email.
Start walking for Terry today and finish on September 20. Participate in either event wherever you are – around your neighbourhood, backyard, around town or just around the block. As you prepare for virtual Run day, we encourage you to share your innovative ideas and fun plans on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtags #TryLikeTerry and #TerryFoxOakville.
The 40th annual virtual Terry Fox Run will be held on September 20th. After all, Terry ran alone and so can we. Sign up today and form a team, join a team or make a donation. All funds support Terry Fox cancer research projects because cancer doesn’t stop for COVID-19. Visit http://www.terryfox.ca/terryfoxrun/oakville to register and sign up for the app.