Cancer survivors, family members, community members, cancer patients, and visitors will be coming together later this month to raise funds for the Terry Fox Foundation.
The annual McLennan Terry Fox Run will start at the Ecole Providence parking lot on Sept. 20 from 1:30 until 3:30 pm.
Organizer Kristen Blanchette is excited for the annual run and says she hopes folks will come out for a great cause.
“Terry Fox is such an inspiring person, and I want his legacy to continue, I also want those who have cancer, have survived cancer and their families to feel support from the community,” says Blanchette. “All proceeds go directly to the Terry Fox Foundation for cancer research.”
Blanchette’s father Francis Lessard began organizing the McLennan run in 1984 and it is a legacy that she has been proud to embrace.
“He was inspired by Terry Fox and wanted to keep his legacy alive,” Blanchette explains. “Then for a few years Ryan Hicks took over organizing the event and then I decided to take over the reins and organize it.”
Each lap of the run is three kilometres and Blanchette says that people are welcome to complete the lap as many times as they would like.
Three laps are encouraged, but not necessary.
“It is a very small thing that I feel I can do,” she says of organizing the run. “I’ve seen friends and family battle cancer and lost my cousin to cancer last fall. Over the years the community has raised over $75,000.”
This year’s theme nation-wide is ‘Finish It’.
The Terry Fox Foundation and the Terry Fox Research Institute work together in pursuit of Terry’s dream to end cancer through research.
The nation-wide run is one of the many ways that money is raised to help accomplish this dream.
“It’s a great opportunity for the community to come together, raise money for cancer research and get outside,” says Blanchette. “We would like to see as many people as possible participate. The route is all on pavement so people can run, walk, cycle, blade, roll.”
Blanchette says she would like to see people of all physical abilities attend, whether on foot or in a wheelchair.
She says this is a great opportunity to help raise funds for an important cause and get some much-needed outside time.
Interested runners can participate by donation to the Terry Fox Foundation.
She says to show up on Sept. 20, register, and enjoy the day with fellow residents.
Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter