Last Saturday and Monday's torrential downpour broke Sunday to spare the numerous Terry Fox runs happening across the province.
In Fox's hometown of Port Coquitlam, participation and fundraising was up over last year with more than 2,500 people coming out to pay tribute to the national icon and to bring in money for cancer research for the Terry Fox Foundation.
Organizer Dave Teixeira and his team helped to raise more than $65,000 — hitting Fox's goal of $1 per resident in PoCo — compared with $53,000 last year.
Premier Christy Clark, Marathon of Hope publicist Bill Vigars and Fox's Marathon of Hope companion Doug Alward talked about Fox's dream to fight the disease that cut short his dream in Thunder Bay, Ont., and claimed his life in 1981.
Teixeira was happy the sun shone on the day, telling the crowd on Sunday, "Rolly [Fox's father, who died this year] is playing a trick by scaring us with bad weather yesterday and this morning, and then smiling down on us with sunshine before the run starts."
Coquitlam's Fox run at Blue Mountain Park, where Fox's high school running coach Fred Tinck spoke, also had a surprise announcement, with staff from the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver handing over a $10,000 cheque for the cause.
Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay said the nice weather was "one of the stars of the day. The sun came out and it was actually too warm for some people doing the run" along the Shoreline Trail.
The Rocky Point Park event he helped to organize saw about 250 runners and collected around $8,000. Fox's sister, Judith, spoke to the crowd about her late brother, mother Betty and father Rolly. "It was truly amazing to have her join us and inspire us," Clay said.
And in Anmore, where Belcarra resident and Terry Fox Foundation executive director Britt Andersen was the keynote speaker, co-organizer Gord Bytelaar said about 140 participants raised about $3,400 — about the same as last year.
Among those supporting the Anmore run was Donna White, the B.C./Yukon director of the Terry Fox Foundation. Across the province and territory, the numbers were up versus last year's 35th anniversary, when "it poured rain in every part of Canada."
Though funds are still being calculated — and will continue to come in until the end of March — White said Stanley Park, in particular, had an outstanding event: It is already showing $15,000 more than last year and online registration was also up.
Meanwhile, the foundation is now preparing for Friday's Terry Fox Run at Simon Fraser University, where Fox studied kinesiology and was an athlete, and where the national foundation office is based, as well as for next week's schools runs.
• Terry Fox Hometown Run T-shirts are still available at the Terry Fox Foundation provincial office, located at 2669 Shaughnessy St., Port Coquitlam.
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