Despite the fact that the Terry Fox Run is in its 38th year, Terry's legacy continues to live on in the hearts of young and old Canadians. 

Runners, walkers, rollerbladers, dog walkers, and little people in strollers are all welcome to participate in the annual Cochrane Terry Fox Run being held at Mitford Park this Sunday (September 16).

Lindsay Regier, has been organizing the fun run for the Cochrane chapter for the past few years and is hoping to finally hit her $15,000 goal. In 2017, over 100 people hit the pathway raising just shy of $14,000, and while initial registration numbers were a little low, the event is picking up steam. "It has definitely picked up in the last couple of weeks, we are at about $4800 raised online so far which is a really good sign."

Regier and a group of dedicated volunteers have spent the past 6 weeks really ramping up the event by hanging posters, increasing social media presence, and having a table at the Cochrane Farmers' Market. Regier, says she has been touched by many of the comments she has heard. "One of my favourite things about going to the Farmers' Market is the kids that point out to their parents 'look mom, look, mom, it's Terry Fox' and even though they weren't around and knew nothing about what happened (other than what they learned at school) that next generation knows about it, knows who he is, and knows his story. I have had so many people come and tell me they remember when they saw him running and what an inspiration he was."

Feelings of nostalgia and Canadian pride are definitely seen throughout the country as runners raise money for the Terry Fox Foundation in support of cancer research. For Regier, the cause becomes more personal; like many community members, she has witnessed one too many family members/friends battle the disease. "I have known a lot of people that have either had cancer or lost their lives to cancer. My dad has had cancer a few times and so for me, this has become my cause. When I started volunteering in Cochrane, I thought let's just see how this goes and I have had such amazing support. In my own way, it's a really feel good day for me and also knowing that we are contributing to such a great cause makes it worth it for me."

A ten-kilometre route will be mapped out for Sunday's non-competitive run and participants are free to do the whole or partial distance. A barbeque will occur after the run thanks to the generosity of Cochrane's Original Joe's, which Regier feels ties the event together. "It is something we like to do so it just doesn't end with the run; people can hang out and enjoy the day."

If you haven't registered, yet, no worries, you can do so pretty well online all the way up to the day of or if you choose you can sign up on site and participate by donation. There is no entry fee or minimum donation required, and all monies collected go directly toward the foundation and Terry's cause. 

Online registration can be done HERE and a timeline for the run is below.

  • 9:00am - Volunteers arrive to set up
  • 10:00am - Registration opens
  • 10:45am - Welcome/speeches/warm-up
    • Welcome - Lindsay Regier, Cochrane Terry Fox Run Organizer
    • Special guest - Ron Regier, Terry's Team (cancer survivor)
    • Warm-up - Richie Mee, Tribe Team Training Cochrane
  • 11:00am - Run starts
  • 12:00pm - Lunch free for participants, provided by Original Joe's