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Five- and 10-kilometre options for Terry Fox Run Sunday

The Terry Fox Run will start at the Cariboo Memorial Complex Sunday at 10 a.m.

The Terry Fox Run will start at the Cariboo Memorial Complex Sunday at 10 a.m.

Denise Skarra, recreation co-ordinator with the city, said participants this year can choose to walk, run or cycle five or 10 kilometres. Terry’s Marathon of Hope took place in 1980 with the simple objective of informing Canadians of the importance of finding a cure for cancer. With fierce determination, he ran an average of 42 km every day for 143 days.

Terry was forced to stop his run on Sept. 1, 1980 when the cancer spread to his lungs. The first Terry Fox Run in 1981 attracted 300,000 participants across Canada and raised $3.5 million. To date, over $400 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry’s name.

While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He called his journey, the Marathon of Hope.