Over 100 participants ran in Fredericton’s annual Terry Fox run on Sept. 15. Terry Fox runs were organized in over 650 communities across the nation.
Contributions to the Terry Fox foundation surpassed over $22,000 from over 290 separate donors in the Fredericton region.
Terry Fox is a beloved figure nationwide for attempting to run across Canada in the Marathon of Hope raising money for cancer in 1980 after having his leg amputated due to the disease.
The Marathon of Hope was cut short due to cancer spreading to Terry’s lungs during the run. Fox’s eventual passing in 1981 led to the annual Terry Fox Run becoming a tradition organized by the Terry Fox Foundation to raise money for cancer research.
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, around 88,100 Canadians are expected to pass away from cancer in 2024, an increase from 86,700 in 2023.
Jackson Charron-Okerlund is the school ambassador for the Terry Fox Foundation in New Brunswick. Last year he ran across Canada raising $100,000 for cancer research, citing Terry Fox as his main source of motivation.
“I was only the 16th person ever in the whole world to ever run across Canada,” said Charron-Okerlund. “So, there’s not many of us out there and if it weren’t for Terry, I would have never been able to do it.”
“When Terry Fox ran across Canada for cancer research, his goal was that one day nobody else died of cancer,” said Charron-Okerlund.
“I don’t want Terry’s sacrifice to go without his mission being complete,” Charron-Okerlund said.
Craig Allen, a member of the Fredericton Terry Fox Run organizing committee, acknowledged the excitement among Fredericton residents.
“[We’re] really excited by the turnout and the enthusiasm that continues to keep this event alive,” said Allen.
Bob Coakley is a St. Thomas University alum who ran in Fredericton’s Terry Fox run. He shared his story of how he remembers Terry Fox.
“I played wheelchair basketball against Terry two different times when we were at national championships,” he said. “His team always beat our team.”
He recalled a moment that characterized the type of person Fox was during one of the games they had played together.
“I wouldn’t let him by, holding him back and he was swearing at me and calling me names and ramming his chair into mine and trying to get by,” said Coakley. “That was a good example of the determination that he showed later when he was doing a Marathon of Hope.”
Allen said the event in Fredericton is ‘very small.’ However, the organization is working to rebuild it and take advantage of Carleton Park with the hopes of continuing to grow the event for years to come.
