The Annual Terry Fox Run Will Take Place on October 19, 2003

19 Oct 2003

I’m not a dreamer, and I’m not saying that this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer, but I believe in miracles. I have to.
- Terry Fox


The fifth annual Terry Fox Run organized by the Canadian community and the Canadian Embassy takes place Sunday, October 19, 2003.

Registration begins at 9:00, and the run will commence at 10:00 at Pechersk International School, 7-a Victor Zabila Street. Most of the route will lie through Holosiyivskiy park which will make the run pleasant and safe. Following the run, the Canadian community will host a post-run barbecue with entertainment at the Perchesk International School. In addition to food, fun and entertainment, a raffle will be held. Prizes in past years have included airline tickets, dinners in Kyiv, and other exciting items.

If you would like additional information on how you can get involved in the Terry Fox Run in Kyiv and to help raise money for cancer research in Ukraine, please contact Bruce Steen at the Canadian Embassy, 464-1144.

History of Terry Fox Run

In 1977, at the age of just 19, a young Canadian named Terry Fox lost one of his legs to cancer. Drawing strength from this loss, he decided to raise money for cancer research by running across Canada. His goal in this Marathon of Hope, as he called it, was to raise $1 for every Canadian, and on April 12, 1980, he set off from St. John’s, Newfoundland in eastern Canada, intending to run to Vancouver’s Stanley Park on Canada’s west coast, a distance of 7,242km After 143 days, running nearly the equivalent of a marathon each day, he had covered 5,373km but was forced to stop his run due to the spread of his cancer. Ten months later, exactly one month before his 23rd birthday, Terry Fox died. His run had raised $24.17 million dollars for cancer research. The population of Canada at the time was 24.1 million people.

In 1981, three months following Terry’s death, the first Terry Fox Run was held at more than 760 sites in Canada. To date, the Terry Fox Run has raised more than $270 million for cancer research, and Terry Fox Runs have been held, organized by Canadian Embassies and Consulates, Canadian Forces Bases, Four Seasons/Regents Hotels and Resorts staff, Anti-Cancer Councils and Societies and others, in over 50 countries worldwide. Last year alone, nearly 250,000 people outside of Canada participated in the Terry Fox Run for cancer research.

Terry Fox Run in Ukraine

In 1999, the Canadian community in Kyiv, with support from the Canadian Embassy, organized the first Terry Fox Run in Ukraine, and has held a Terry Fox Run every autumn since. Funds raised through the Terry Fox Runs in Ukraine are donated to scientific cancer research organizations working in Ukraine, in order to further their research against cancer. To date, the Terry Fox Runs in Ukraine have raised some US$15,000 for cancer research in Ukraine, and have seen annual participation levels of between 500 and 800 runners.