Stratford is one of more than 650 communities that participate in the annual Terry Fox Run held across Canada each year.
Local organizer Rena Spevak says participants can walk, cycle and run, or you can just stop by on Sunday at Upper Queens Park and enjoy the camaraderie and share a story.
“Come over and say hi and talk about Terry Fox…a lot of people have lovely stories about seeing him in 1980 when he ran, he came to Stratford that year.”
Fox’s Marathon of Hope had a goal of informing Canadians of the importance of finding a cure for cancer. Fox ran an average of 42 kilometres every day for 143 days but ended his run when the cancer spread to his lungs.
Fox died in 1981.
Despite the years that have passed, Fox remains a legendary figure.
“The kids are still remembering him even though they weren’t there at the time. They still talk about him at school. He’s a really important figure in Canada.”
Spevak says cancer has deeply affected her family. Her other died of cancer when she was young and a number of other family members have been lost to cancer.
“It’s really important that we support research in trying to find cures and treatments.”
She says treatments have come a long way over the years.
Registration for the Stratford event start at 8:30 a.m.
