Find a Terry Fox Run Near You

Terrance Stanley Fox was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, having had one leg amputated due to cancer, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. The annual Terry Fox Run, first held in 1981, has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is the world’s largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research; over C$1 billion has been raised in his name through the Terry Fox Research Institute as of February 2026. Fox was a distance runner and basketball player for Port Coquitlam Senior Secondary School, later named after him, and Simon Fraser University. — Terry Fox, Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Terry Fox in Toronto during his Marathon of Hope, 12 July 1980. Photo by Jeremy Gilbert, released into the public domain.

When I was a kid, I remember reading in a local paper about Terry Fox coming through our city. It was a big deal – or at least it was turning into a big deal. We had no idea what kind of impact Terry’s life would have on fundraising for cancer research in Canada. His impact was massive.

Years later, in 2010, I came across this van, parked in the Annex neighbourhood in Toronto, where we were living at the time.

A van lettered Terry Fox – Épreuve transcanadienne / pour appuyer la recherche sur le cancer ("Trans-Canada Challenge – to support cancer research").

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and I was probably right not to believe it. I think this was actually a prop from a made-for-TV movie about Terry’s life. Having said that, Canadians of a certain age will feel some nostalgia at the sight of it.

Since it’s September, we are now in Terry Fox Run season, when a lot of cancer research fundraising (and running and walking) happens. I’ve just added hundreds of Terry Fox runs to My Mind is Racing. If you’re looking for a run in your province or territory, shortcuts are listed below.

Find a Terry Fox Run in your province or territory

Terry’s story was genuinely inspirational – to the point that it was the catalyst for many other cross-Canada adventures in the name of fundraising and awareness. We owe a lot to Terry.