Rob Stickle was among Toronto residents who witnessed 21-year-old Terry Fox during his cross-Canada run on 12 April 1980, a journey undertaken to raise money for cancer research. Fox, an athlete from British Columbia whose leg was amputated in 1977 after contracting osteosarcoma, began his Marathon of Hope by dipping his foot in the Atlantic Ocean in St John’s, Newfoundland. Running on a crude prosthetic leg, he aimed to complete a full marathon each day across nearly 5,000 miles.
A new documentary titled Run Terry Run, premiering on 19 September at the Toronto film festival, compiles previously unseen footage from the 1980s and reveals Fox’s journey was far less uniformly celebrated than historical memory suggests. Early in his trek, Fox received little support or public attention, relying primarily on assistance from friends and family to navigate dangerous roads, fatigue, and equipment challenges. Director Sean Menard noted that the footage captures Fox continuously adjusting the leather strap on his ill-fitting prosthetic, which was designed for walking rather than the demands of marathon running.
As Fox moved eastward across Canada, public awareness grew significantly. He met with the prime minister and eventually received a hero’s welcome in Toronto. The documentary also captures Fox’s quieter, more vulnerable moments, including a scene where he emotionally discusses a young cancer patient he spent time with. His effort raised funds well exceeding his initial target of C$1m, yet Fox declined endorsements and resisted commercial exploitation of his name.
Fox’s journey ended after 143 days and 3,339 miles when he was forced to stop outside Thunder Bay, Ontario, in late August after developing a cough. Medical assessment revealed cancerous tumors in his lungs, and on 1 September he announced the Marathon of Hope was suspended. He died the following June. Today, Fox holds iconic status in Canada, with numerous roads, schools, and a mountain bearing his name. The annual Terry Fox Run, held in more than 60 countries, remains the world’s largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research, having raised more than C$1bn. At present, Fox’s legacy has attracted renewed bipartisan attention, with singer Bryan Adams recently penning a tribute titled The Ballad of Terry Fox.
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