Terry Fox Run 2017 - Liberty Village, Toronto, ON

I participated in the second annual 2017 Terry Fox Run this morning in the Liberty Village run (it's close to my 'hood) ... it's the first time I've done it.

Terry Fox (1958 – 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian and cancer research activist.  In 1980, he began the Marathon of Hope, a cross-country run to raise money for cancer research.  He hoped to raise one dollar from each of Canada's 24 million people.  He began in St. John's, Newfoundland, in April and ran the equivalent of a full marathon every day.  After 143 days and 5,373km/3,339 miles, he was forced to end his run outside Thunder Bay, ON, when the cancer spread to his lungs.  His hopes of overcoming the disease and completing his marathon ended when he died nine months later.

The annual Terry Fox Run, first held in 1981, has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research.  Over $650 million has been raised in his name.

I had registered online and raised $1,100 (Liberty Village had raised about $32,000).  Thanks to Gord, Trish, Malcolm & Mary, Elodie, Joanne, LeeAnn, Craig & Wendy, Rona, Kevin & Rosemary, Shahid, Franca, Steve, Elaine & Bill, Kim, Jimmy, Chrissy & Dean, Shawna, Jennifer, Darlene, Marianne, Christine & Alfred, Christine, Yvette, Ken and Leanne!

Here's the line to sign in and sign the waiver.

There's my neighbour, Dawn (right), and her friend, Aggie (left)

I bought a teeshirt.

You could sign the wall for who you were walking/running for.

There were lots of snacks and activities while we were waiting for the walk/run to start at 10am.

Face painting

There were three walks/runs ... 3km, 5km and 10km (I walked/ran 5km).  Children and dogs were welcome!

Here's the crowd just before we were ready to go.

Jagger Long, the Liberty Cares coordinator, gave us the ground rules.

There were some special guests/speakers.

We got warmed up.

A couple of Toronto Argo cheerleaders were on hand to cheer us on.

The walkers formed two lines and the runners were first to go.  And then we were off!

At the Lakeshore/Strachan Avenue, there were volunteers cheering us on.

The first 1km marker was in Coronation Park.

Volunteers had water available in Coronation Park.

The 2km marker was on the Lakeshore, heading west.

The turnaround point for the 5km was the second bridge at Ontario Place, seen in the distance.

Here's the 3km point where you turned around if you were doing the 5km (which I was) and you could grab some more water.

Here's the 3.5km marker, north of Ontario Place along the Lakeshore.

Downtown Toronto looks hazy in the distance as I get near Coronation Park.

The 4km marker was near the Princes' Gates.

Volunteers cheer us on for the last leg.

A half km to go at Strachan, under the Gardiner ... almost done!

The Toronto Argo Cheerleaders cheered me in!

Everyone got a certificate and ribbon for participating.

There was lots of food afterwards.

I love love love pizza!

Their vegan protein squares were delicious!

You could get a massage.

Happy tired dogs!

Everyone was given a ticket to win a prize donated by some Liberty Village businesses.

It was a fun time for a good cause!  I look forward to doing it again next year!