Dozens of participants are set to take to the trails during the annual Terry Fox Run which returns to Rocky Mountain House Sept. 15.

Benefitting the Terry Fox Foundation, organizers say registration begins at 12:30 p.m. with the run beginning at 1 p.m. at the Rocky Mountain House Regional Recreation Centre.

Organizer Cheryl Terpsma says participants can choose either the 5 km run or walk, or a shorter walk closer to the Rec Centre.

Participants can register in person or online, says Terpsma, and while every participant is encouraged to raise money for the Terry Fox Foundation, there is no minimum pledge required.

She notes there has been a noticeable decline in both pledges and participation since the pandemic.

“We’re hoping to get more people involved, and raise those numbers again,” says Terpsma. “It’s great to see an organization that’s working to try and find better treatments and solutions for cancer patients.”

Pre-pandemic, Terpsma says around $3000 was raised locally for the Terry Fox Foundation annually.

Participants at a Terry Fox Run in Rocky Mountain House (Cheryl Terpsma/Used with permission)

An average of 60 participants would show up pre-pandemic, says Terpsma, however, 2023 saw the largest post-pandemic involvement with around 43 participants.

The event has been held for well over four decades, says Terpsma, essentially after Terry Fox himself ran his historic Marathon of Hope in the early 80s.

Terpsma says most Canadians are affected in some way by cancer.

She adds she has a close personal friend, Sarah, who suffered from the same kind of cancer Fox had. However, thanks to advancements in cancer research, she’s still alive today.

She was able to keep her limb, Terpsma says, as the bones were replaced with titanium.

As well, she credits the advancement in research for preventing the cancer spreading to Sarah’s lungs, which was the case with Fox.

For more information, or to make a pledge, Terpsma says people can go to terryfox.org, or call 403-846-6929.