LAC LA BICHE - On Sept. 15, people in the Lac La Biche region will be lacing up their running and walking shoes or hopping on their bicycles to take part in the annual Terry Fox Run.
Registration begins at noon on Sept. 15, while the run goes from 1 to 3 p.m.
For 44 years, the event has taken place across Canada to honour the legacy of Terry Fox, who died in 1981 and was diagnosed with cancer in 1977. He planned to run across Canada to raise awareness and money for cancer research.
Fox’s journey, known as the Marathon of Hope, started in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador on April 12, 1980. By the time he reached Thunder Day, Ontario, Fox had run 5,373 km. It was there that he was forced to stop his run across Canada due to cancer spreading to his lungs.
Fox died on June 28, 1981, in New Westminster, British Columbia, at the age of 22.
Tina Skakun, a stage 4B cancer survivor who for the past six years has worked as a volunteer to support and organize the Lac La Biche Terry Fox Run, said this year’s run starts at McArthur Park.
From there, she explained, the route heads along the lakeshore out on Nashim Drive and towards the Pleasant Acres subdivision. It turns around and comes back to McArthur Place.
The Lac La Biche event includes 5km and 10km distances.
“We typically have about 50 people join us, and always appreciate anyone coming out,” Skakun told Lakeland This Week.
Skakun continued by saying that when planning for the local version of the national event, organizers receive generous support from community businesses and agencies, as well as Lac La Biche County, the local RCMP detachment, and Protective Services.
There are also several volunteers who lend their time and skills.
“I am also thankful for my committee of volunteers who help put out signs, send in paperwork, help with registration,” she stated.
According to online information about the Lac La Biche Terry Fox Run, there have been 38 runs in the community since 1984, with $193,947 raised for cancer research. The event typically raises $1,500 locally, which goes to the Terry Fox Foundation.
Those who are interested in participating can show up on the day of the event to register, or they can register ahead of time online.