Hundreds participate in Terry Fox run to raise funds for cancer research By: Tyler Searle Posted: 4:49 PM CDT Sunday, Sep. 15, 2024

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This article was published 15/09/2024 (723 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As Carlisle Settee embarked on the 44th annual Terry Fox run in Assiniboine Park Sunday morning, words spoken by the late Canadian hero echoed in his mind.

“I believe in miracles. I have to,” Settee said, referencing a quote from the athlete and cancer advocate who left an indelible legacy when he attempted to run across Canada on one leg more than four decades ago.

“I believe in that line. I believe the hurting must stop.”

Settee, who is Fox’s cousin, was one of hundreds of people across 30 Manitoba communities who took part in the annual run to raise money for cancer research.

A crowd of runners gathered shortly before 10 a.m. to stretch out, warm up and listen to a slate of speakers before taking off on a 2.5 kilometre route that included portions of the park’s Terry Fox Trail.

“It’s been an amazing turnout and there are still people coming,” said Giovanna Rocca, a volunteer with the Terry Fox Foundation, which organizes the annual run.

“It’s more like a party — a celebration honouring Terry’s legacy.”

Fox, a Winnipeg-born athlete and cancer patient, ran 5,374 kilometres in 143 days in 1980 from St. John’s, N.L., to Thunder Bay during a fundraising initiative dubbed the Marathon of Hope.

He was forced to stop his marathon when cancer spread to his lungs. He died in 1981 when he was just 22.

The annual run has continued in his honour since, raising hundreds of millions of dollars over the years for cancer research.

Dozens of participants wore red shirts during Sunday’s event to identify themselves as members of “Terry’s Team” — a term of endearment to describe people living with, or surviving, cancer.

Team member Jennifer Graham was inspired to support fundraising and research initiatives after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. While she is now cancer free, helping others is part of the healing journey, she said.

“There’s a sense of community when you gather with other cancer patients and survivors,” Graham said. “When you have that connection with another person, you just know how it feels and you know that you’re stronger together.”

By 11 a.m., the event had raised 90 per cent of its $65,000 fundraising target, according to the Terry Fox Foundation’s website.

That money will directly benefit cancer patients in Manitoba, said Dr. Sachin Katyal, a cancer researcher with CancerCare Manitoba.

“We are now at a stage where research can inform care,” Katyal said. “We can look at each individual patient’s cancer and develop a precise way to treat it… and tailor-make a treatment.

Funds raised through events like the annual run support scientific research leading to better care and quality of life for patients, said Katyal.

“I come here to get more inspiration to keep going. It’s a beautiful, symbiotic relationship of fundraisers and researchers working off of each other,” he said. “I like to think that everybody who is helping with the fundraising is actually a research partner.”

The third annual Winnipeg Run for Palestine also took place in Assiniboine Park Sunday.

Around 300 people registered to participate in the event, exceeding last year’s high of 80 people, Ramsey Zeid, president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba, said.

It was the first time the event has been held since Oct. 7, when war erupted in the Middle East.

Zeid organized the event to raise money in support of Islamic Relief Canada, a humanitarian aid organization. The amount of money fundraised had not been totaled by press time.

“It just goes to show you that people want to support,” he said. “We need to be more creative in some of the things we do in order to raise awareness and help the people of Palestine… I think moving forward you’ll see a lot more of the events we do are not just rally-based.”

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca