Town saves Terry Fox Run

By Adelle Ellis, Times Reporter

With no coordinator in place for the 2019 Strathmore Terry Fox Run, the Town of Strathmore has stepped up to organize the run this September, ensuring its continuation in Strathmore for another year.
The run, which has been held in Strathmore every year since 1997 and has raised a total of $63,000 towards cancer research, has traditionally been organized by an individual in Strathmore who, due to medical reasons, was unable to continue planning the run this year.
Although organizing the Terry Fox Run is not in the town’s mandate, nor was it budgeted for in 2019, upon being contacted by the Terry Fox Foundation, council passed along information to the chief administrative officer to look at the possibility of the town organizing the event with a little over a month to go.
“The idea of not having a Terry Fox Run here in town was really not an option,” said Mark Pretzlaff, manager of recreation and culture with the Town of Strathmore, who will be working on organizing the event along with Lauren McGougan, culture and events coordinator with the town. “Because of the importance of the cause and the significance and the council support we elected to take it on.”
Pretzlaff said he believes the importance of the Terry Fox Run in the community will mean no shortage of volunteers from the town stepping up to help coordinate the run. He expects participation as well from town councillors, either by participating in the race or by helping in volunteer roles.
The Town of Strathmore is a natural fit to help put on the event that draws over 100 runners each year as they have worked with coordinators in the past regarding the logistics of the event. All promotional material and any guidance needed is provided by the Terry Fox Foundation. Even though the race is scheduled a little over a month away, Pretzlaff said he feels they are right on schedule.
“The Terry Fox (Foundation) have given us some great ideas of how we can potentially enhance the event to get more people involved … ultimately some things we are going to look at to enhance it and get more people out, and hopefully it will lead to bigger things next year and beyond,” said Pretzlaff, who hopes to draw in more runners, raise more awareness and more funds for cancer research with a goal of more than 100 runners and $2,500 raised.
Town staff will be presenting to council at a later date the option of building the Terry Fox Run into the yearly budget, if council supports the decision. The town will also look at continuing to run the event each year in case no other potential organizer steps forward to take the reins.
“If someone steps up in the meantime next year and is willing to take on the initiative of coordination, then I’m sure that’s something the town would be willing to hand off to somebody; but obviously, we’re still there to support them,” said Pretzlaff, who added that the event can be run either by an individual or an organization.
The run will be held on National Terry Fox Run Day on Sept. 15 with a start time of 1 p.m. More details about the run will be released in the coming weeks through the Town of Strathmore’s social media accounts and in the Strathmore Times.
For more information or to volunteer, email recreation@strathmore.ca. To register for the race visit terryfox.org, go to ‘register today – find a run’ and search Strathmore. Registrations to run can also be made on the day of the event.
“Terry Fox has a lasting memory for a lot of Canadians and there’s such a great impact. He’s one of the most recognizable Canadians still to date and obviously, the battle to conquer cancer is never over,” said Pretzlaff. “It’s ongoing and ultimately our goal is to ensure that his legacy lives on and the fight for cancer continues … hopefully people come out and contribute to such a worthwhile cause.”