Local runners will lace up this weekend in support of cancer research.
The annual Terry Fox Run/Walk is scheduled for Sunday, September 20 at Canatara Park.
Run Organizer Laurie Rome said last year's event collected just over $72,000 towards cancer research, a record for the local event.
"It's a very family-friendly event so bring the kids and there's lots for them to do," said Rome. "It's about getting together, sharing stories and making money for research. The weather is kind of questionable, but if people are thinking it's kind of drizzly out, 'I don't want to go', just remember Terry never let a little rain stop him, so neither will we."
Rome said the event is an opportunity for those impacted by cancer to come together.
"You'll see a lot of red shirts, which means they're cancer survivors. It's a lot of communicating between and telling stories about their experiences, or saying, 'my father passed away this year of cancer,' and it helps to know you're not alone," she said.
Participants can register in person beginning at 8 a.m. at the Canatara Park bandshell, and the run will kick off at around 9:15 a.m. following a warmup.
"It's both a run and walk," noted Rome. "Probably about half of the people walk it, and you can choose from one, two, three, anywhere up to 10 kilometres to do."
Since its inception in 1980, the Terry Fox Foundation has raised over $1 billion, funding over 1,300 innovative cancer research projects across Canada.
Events are also planned Sunday in Petrolia at the Lion's Hall Pavilion on Huggard Street, and at the Brooke-Alvinston-Inwood Community Centre.
School runs are scheduled for Monday, September 28.
For more information, or to pre-register, visit www.terryfox.org.
