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Neepawa’s historic support for Terry Fox Run is ‘remarkable’
By Eoin Devereux Neepawa Banner & Press
“Even if I don’t finish, we need others to continue. It’s got to keep going without me.” —Terry Fox.
Terry Fox began the Marathon of Hope in 1980, but he was never able to finish that inspiring journey. But over the weekend, the community of Neepawa, along with the rest of the nation, rallied together with a singular purpose, to ‘finish it’.
Well over 100 participants assembled at the NACI track on Sunday, Sept, 14, to take part in the annual Terry Fox Run. Among the crowd were cancer survivors, identified by their red shirts. Those in red shirts are also given balloons to release just before the start of the event, to signify their overcoming their battles with cancer.
As for the setup for the Terry Fox Run itself, it involved runners, walkers, and bikers beginning their 5k journey at the running track. After one complete lap around the track, they then travelled to the Dairy Queen checkpoint, before returning to the track to complete the day.
And while the local weather on the day was a bit overcast and dreary, the spirit of the people involved was luminescent.
Over the years, almost a quarter of a million dollars has been raised directly by Neepawa’s efforts to support The Terry Fox Foundation. Local run coordinator Dr. Kelly Krzyzaniak said the amount of support that Neepawa gives to this cause each and every year is remarkable
“We raised $13,000 [in 2024], and we’re optimistic about this year’s results,” noted Dr. Krzyzaniak. “For a community our size, the amount of support that is generated every year is amazing.”
Dr. Krzyzaniak also expressed tremendous pride in the large number of local health care workers and supporters of the health care team, that participate in the event. She said they see first hand, the effects of a cancer diagnosis on people and their loved ones.
“We deal with it at the hospital. All the time, we see it. We see the people that recover, and unfortunately, those that do not, but we remember them.”
The theme for this year’s Terry Fox Run was ‘Finish it.’, marking our nations ongoing commitment to the Marathon of Hope, and Terry’s dream of finding a cure for cancer. Diagnosed with rare bone cancer at 18, after having a leg amputated, Fox set out to run the Marathon of Hope – running a marathon a day across the nation to raise funds for cancer research. In April 1980, he ran nearly 42 kilometres a day for 143 days starting from St. John’s, Nfld. The run ended in Ontario, after the cancer spread to his lungs. He died nine months later in June 1981 at the age of 22.
Terry Fox was never able to complete his cross-country
marathon, but with every year of support, we have chosen to finish it.
