‘Today is the day it all begins’: Terry Fox’s brother speaks on 43rd annual run

Canadians across the country are taking to the streets Sunday for the 43rd annual Terry Fox Run with the goal of raising money to fund innovative cancer research.

The event is named after the Port Coquitlam native runner who began his Marathon of Hope in April 1980 at the age of 18.

Terry’s brother, Fred Fox, told CityNews if Terry were alive today, he would be “absolutely astonished” to see how much money has been raised over the decades.

“I always refer back to Terry’s very first words on April 12, (1980), when he started in Newfoundland, and he said, ‘Today is the day it all begins.’ He could never have known what that would mean,” he said.

Related links:

• 43rd Annual Terry Fox run takes place Sept. 17

• Former publicist offers readers a ‘brand-new side’ to Terry Fox in new memoir

Fred says he’s incredibly proud of all the money Canadians have raised for cancer research through the Terry Fox Foundation. He adds it doesn’t matter whether folks walk, run, or cycle for the event; he just hopes Canadians will continue to connect with each other around the shared goal of defeating cancer, once and for all.

Fox started his Marathon of Hope with the intention of running across Canada. He ran for 143 days and was then forced to stop after cancer returned to his lungs, the Terry Fox Foundation says. Fox ended his journey on Sept. 1, 1980, having run 5,373 kilometres, or an average of 42 kilometres per day. He made it all the way from Newfoundland and into Ontario before he had to stop.

Over 9,000 runs are held across the country each year.

The City of Port Coquitlam has announced road closures for its commemorative Hometown run until 2:30 p.m.

Lots of runners participating in the #TerryFoxRun. One of the biggest is in #PortCoquitlamBC. There are road closures until about 2:30 pm and starts at the Hyde Creek Rec Centre on Laurier Ave to Coast Meridian Road, the overpass, parts of Kingsway Ave, Wilson to Broadway Ave. pic.twitter.com/UR9aQgrCH7

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