Special touch added to Welland’s Fox run
Welland’s 36th annual Terry Fox Run is hitting just a bit closer to home this year.
For organizer Phil Busby, it’s because of the loss of his father to cancer in May.
For Welland as a whole, it’s because of a tribute to Dalton Jacques, a teen who died earlier this year after his battle with bone cancer.
Mike Strange, a former Olympic boxer and a sitting NiagaraFalls city councillor, founder of the Box Run and someone who has run across Canada himself, will be helping out.
“(Strange) is somebody that I had on my radar for a long time and through him we’re actually going to be doing a special tribute to Dalton.”
Busby couldn’t say exactly what the tribute is because Strange is handling it.
Terry Fox lost his battle with bone cancer back in 1981.
His famed Marathon of Hope, which was intended to be a crossCanada run, has continued to draw attention to cancer research and the Terry Fox Foundation continues to raise money to find a cure.
“This all happened well before my time,” said Busby. “But I’ve always — as a kid up until this date — been inspired by what he actually did and what he was trying to accomplish for others.”
Busby said he’s a runner himself, so he knows the kind of mental and physical discipline that goes into preparing for and running a race. However, he said he can’t imagine what it must have been like for Fox.
Welland’s event isn’t a crossCanada venture, of course, but Busby said it’s up to a 10-kilometre trek.
“It’s run, walk, wheel, bike — whatever anybody wants to do is totally acceptable.”
The route is along the Merritt Island path. It goes five kilometres out and then back. The distance travelled is up to the participant.
And there will be more to do than run the course.
Busby said there will be free food, beverages and live entertainment.
There’s going to be a DJ and live music from local musician Jeff Beadle, and Welland’s own “Got Magic?” magician Shaun Ferguson will be back for the kids.
“We’re going to have a fitness instructor to warm everybody up pre-run,” Busby said, noting there will also be a massage therapist on site to treat people before and after the run, too.
He said he’s always on the lookout of new ways to draw people to the event.
Two years ago, when he was just a volunteer, he said the event raised about $6,000. Last year, it doubled that.
While his estimate doesn’t double that amount, he expects an increase.
“I’d say we’re easily aiming for, I want to say, $16,000,” he said.
“All that goes directly to the Terry Fox Foundation and basically gets distributed into a number of things.”
The foundation gives 84 cents per dollar to cancer research and advancements and has raised about $700 million to date.
Busby said people can make cash or cheque donations that day of the event or donate at www.terryfox.ca/terryfoxrun/welland. lbarton@postmedia.com