Moose Jaw continues support of Terry Fox Run with dozens of participants

At some point in time, the Moose Jaw edition of the Terry Fox Run is going to return to its former splendour -- hundreds of runners gathering for festivities on a nice day, all with the goal of supporting Terry’s legacy and the Canadian Cancer Society.

But with the ongoing pandemic, organizers once again decided to take a cautious approach this time around, offering participants a chance to register at the River Park Pavillion in Wakamow Valley and then do their own thing, with many taking the option of strolling around the oval or through the many trails in the area.

That’s not to say the 41st edition of the Run was anything other than a success, though, as supporters continue to do what they can to honour Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope.

“It’s about what we expected, I’m very happy,” said Moose Jaw organizer Craig Hemingway on Saturday morning as folks stopped by to sign up. “To this point we’ve had about 20 or so people come and check in and go for a walk wherever they wish and that was the whole point, to give people the option to do that today.”

Like the fully-online Terry Fox Run in 2020, participants could simply register at www.terryfox.org and make a donation there, then take part in whatever activity they wished on the day of the event. Based on what he’d seen online, Hemingway expected many local supporters were taking just that approach.

“Certainly we know already there’s be a lot of activity online with people making donations there, which is all encouraged,” he said. “It’s all about giving what you can in Terry’s name, that was his motto, and however people are donating, it’s all tremendous.”

An impressive aspect of the Moose Jaw run is how many longtime supporters of the event are in the community -- many of whom have never missed a Terry Fox Run dating back to its inception.

“A lot of the people who have checked in have run every year, they haven’t missed one since 1980, which is amazing,” Hemingway said. “But you do get that sense from talking to people that they’re looking forward to more of a gathering, more of a celebration with everybody… For something like this, you want be able to see other people and thank them for being a part of it, like you are part of Team Terry.”

While the final Moose Jaw fundraising total is still being tallied, however much is raised will be a positive for the local Run and the Canadian Cancer Society.

“People are donating how they can, when they can and as much as they can and it’s all appreciated,” Hemingway said.