40th anniversary of Terry Fox Run marked Sunday

Sunday marks 40 years since Terry Fox started his iconic Marathon of Hope.

He set out to raise money to beat cancer.

Since then, over 800 million dollars have been raised in his name.

Fox has gained the status of a Canadian hero.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Terry Fox Run will look a bit different across the country.

Vern Hodgins, a retired teacher, has organized the run in Prince Albert since it began in 1981.

Rather than going out in a large group as usual, people are encouraged to run by themselves.

“You can go out and do whatever route you want,” he told Brent Loucks on 650 CKOM.

Donations will still be accepted both in person and online.

As someone who has seen the impact Fox has had over the years, the anniversary is very special to Hodgins.

“When I used to teach about Terry, I did a unit on what it means to be a hero. It was so easy to talk to kids about character traits like determination, courage, perseverance and never giving up on a goal,” he explained.

He took the time to reminisce on what it was like back in the beginning.

“There was real excitement in the air. They had this big fundraiser with Lloyd Robertson, Wayne Gretzky and Karren Kain on TV. Everybody was excited. Something like 650 people showed up at Little Red (near Prince Albert) for that first Terry Fox Run,” he remembered.

He delved into why the story has resonated across Canada after all these years.

“The fact that he was a young person with this goal, doing a thing that was supposedly impossible. The fact that he had a physical challenge and never let that get in his way … (and) the fact that what he did, running a marathon day after day in all kinds of weather is just incredible,” he said.

“I think it’s a pretty easy choice to decide who is our No.1 hero.”