Want to be part of the Terry Fox Training Run but don't want to run 10 miles?
You can still be part of the event, which takes runners along the route through the Tri-Cities that Terry used to train for his 1980 Marathon of Hope — by volunteering.
Preparations for the April 3 event are in full swing but the organization needs more volunteers for the big day, said organizer Kirsten Fox, mainly to act as route marshals.
"The more, the better," Fox said. "They can help cheer on the participants and guide them along the way."
The 10-mile course starts at Westwood elementary (3610 Hastings St.) in Port Coquitlam, runs through Coquitlam's Town Centre and along Guildford Way to Ioco Road, up to a turnaround point at April Road, and back again along Port Moody's Shoreline Trail. (The course is measured in miles because it's how Terry recorded his runs in his training journals.)
It's well marked with the Terry Fox Training Run signs that were put up for the inaugural event held last year, in celebration of the 35th anniversary of Terry's cross-country trek, but course marshals are needed particularly in areas where there is a longer distance between signs and to encourage the participants.
"Things are coming along really well, and we are really hopeful we're going to get a lot of people out there," Fox said.
Volunteers will need to check in at Westwood elementary at 7:30 a.m. and be in their assigned position on the route by the run start time at 8:30 a.m. until the last runners go through, likely by 10:30 a.m.
Need more encouragement?
"It's a great way to give back to your community and it's a great way to celebrate Terry and what he accomplished before he began his Marathon of Hope," Fox said. "Ten miles itself is obviously a big task but if you're not up for a 10-mile run, [maybe] you're up for volunteering and giving back that way."
• Anyone interested in volunteering is asked to contact Kirsten Fox at [email protected] by Tuesday, March 29. To register for the run, visit www.terryfoxrun.org/trainingrun.
