By every conceivable metric the 2019 Thompson Terry Fox Run Sept. 15 was a step up over last year’s charitable fundraiser.
Not only did Sunday’s event attract nearly 100 more runners, 162 participants in total, but they also managed to raise $3,709 to fund cancer research, a $2,554 jump from 2018.
It didn’t hurt that the weather on Sunday hovered around a high of 21 °C, whereas the temperature barely cracked zero last fall.
Participants departed from the north end of the Thompson Regional Community Centre at 1 p.m. and had the choice of completing either a four-kilometre loop around Thompson Drive and Cree Road or a shorter two-kilometre walk.
While most of the crowd mostly consisted of families, organizations including the U18 Norman Northstars, Aurora Dance Academy and R.D. Parker Collegiate junior boys’ volleyball team also showed up to give their support.
The event wrapped up with a barbecue for participants and a chance for kids to paint an RCMP truck.
Thompson Terry Fox organizer Samantha Leahy thought the event was a big success considering this was the first year that she and Kathy Pitre were running things.
“When you don’t know what to expect and you don’t have any of your own standards to hold yourself to you’re not really sure how things will go,” she said. “But just seeing the turnout, it was definitely a positive reinforcement.”
The Terry Fox Foundation says runs are held in over 9,000 Canadian communities every year in memory of their namesake, whose Marathon of Hope to raise money for cancer research took place in the spring and summer of 1980.
As of 2018, Canadians have raised over $750 million through these yearly events.
