Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Napanee’s annual Terry Fox Run is set to go virtual again this year, taking place Sept. 19 throughout the community.
Participants will have the option of taking part in a run, walk or ride of their choosing within their own bubble, selecting their own route and departing at a time that works best for them.
“We are still online unfortunately,” said Michelle Way, one of this year’s event organizers. “But one of the advantages to being online is you’re not stuck in a time frame, you can make your own route and do your run whenever you can.”
While it had its advantages, Way says the virtual run isn’t quite the same as the community runs which have become a tradition in Napanee, dating back to 1982. Last year was the first year it went to the virtual format due to COVID-19 safety protocols. In previous years participants would gather in one spot and depart as a large group, running a set course through the town. This year instead calls on participants to take part in much smaller groups, plotting out a course of their choice.
“The virtual world is getting old quick. You want to see people,” said Way. “That’s the piece that as organizers we miss, seeing all the volunteers and the survivors and hearing all the stories that we would hear just informally by people coming to register.”
Despite the challenges, the run will continue in the spirit of Terry Fox in tribute to his famous Marathon of Hope, which began in spring of 1980. After losing a leg to cancer, Fox set out to run across Canada on a prosthetic leg in an effort to raise money for cancer research.
“It speaks to the legacy and the importance to what Terry Fox started that people feel so compelled to continue that on,” said Way.
To take part in the local event, visit https://terryfox.org/terry-fox-run/ and search Napanee.
Organizers for this year’s event are hoping to match the $15,000 they raised last year.
Money raised from Terry Fox Runs across Canada will go towards the Terry Fox Foundation, which continues on his goal to find a cure for cancer.