Aidan Jaager
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Driven by the legacy of a beloved Canadian, an Ontario woman is coming to Saskatchewan as part of her mission to complete the Terry Fox Run in every province.
Along with millions of other Canadians, 70-year-old Rita Taylor will lace up her running shoes Sunday in honour of Fox’s unfinished dream of running across Canada.
“I was inspired by his story and started to follow his journey across the country through the media in 1980. It was heartbreaking when he had to stop and his message was, ‘If I can’t finish it, the Marathon of Hope has to continue’ … that’s the theme for this year is to finish it,” Taylor said.
Saskatchewan will be her ninth province, with only Manitoba left on the list.
“I just really wanted to do a run in every province,” said Taylor, who ran competitively as a kid.
So far, $44,711 of the $80,000 goal has been raised for Saskatoon’s run. Taylor’s fundraiser within the Terry Fox Foundation has accounted for almost $2,500 of that.
Fox began his Marathon of Hope in 1980 to raise money and awareness for cancer research after losing his leg to osteosarcoma. His goal was to find a cure and inspire hope for all cancer patients.
He started his cross-Canada run in St. John’s, and was supposed to end in Victoria, spanning over 8,000 kilometres. It was cut short in Thunder Bay after the cancer returned and spread to his lungs.
The Terry Fox Foundation has raised over $950 million since Fox first asked 24 million Canadians to donate a loonie 45 years ago.
“There’s such great research going on through the Terry Fox research institute and in all of the work of the foundation. I just really appreciate being able to contribute to that,” Taylor said.
As she has aged, Taylor trains by walking five-km routes in Ontario.
“I used to run the entire 10k. I don’t run the whole thing anymore. I’m taking it easier on my body as I have aged and that’s one of the nice things about the Terry Fox Run is that it’s not a race and it’s not a competition.”
“Everybody’s out there for a common cause, so there’s already that sense of camaraderie and togetherness. There was a young woman that I ran with in Calgary, she said ‘let’s just set a good pace for ourselves and run together and chat’.”
There’s also a freedom that comes with running, Taylor said.
“It’s exercise that feels good. All you need is a good pair of running shoes. It’s not expensive and you don’t have to wait for anybody if you feel like just doing it by yourself.”
This year’s theme of “finishing it” is the driving force for Taylor’s motivation and determination.
“But to finish it, we need to find the cure. We need to really wipe out cancer. There’s been tremendous progress in that towards that goal since 1980, but it’s not done yet.
The Saskatoon run starts at the Delta Bessborough Hotel garden at 12 p.m. The route is expected to take participants across the river and around the U of S campus. There will be five and 10-km routes.
Regina is hosting a Terry Fox Run at 10 a.m. on Sunday, beginning at the MacKenzie Art Gallery. The four-km walk and run will be around Wascana Lake — participants can register here.
