Taking place in Battersea Park this September, join Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane as they support The Terry Fox Foundation for its official Terry Fox Run UK
Trainers at the ready. Participants across the country will come together on September 18, 2022 to walk, run or cycle around Battersea Park on a 2.5-10k route in support of cancer research. Different to the usual racing experience, at this event no official results will be recorded – with further live entertainment, refreshments and food found at the event village for added ambience.
London won’t be the only city taking part, either – Terry Fox Runs are held across the world, offering a free to enter, non-competitive and open to all abilities event in the name of the iconic Canadian Terry Fox.
This annual event is inspired by Terry Fox, a 22-year-old athlete who lost his leg to osteogenic sarcoma, a rare bone cancer – who first made headlines in 1980 when he ran 3,339 miles (5,374 kilometres) over 143 days across Canada to raise awareness and money for cancer research.
Known as the “Marathon of Hope,” Terry had planned to run across the country, but he had to stop sooner than anticipated on September 1, 1980 as sadly the cancer had spread to his lungs.
During the Marathon of Hope, he averaged a marathon a day every day, with a unique running style as he used a prosthetic leg. He died less than a year later after raising CAD 24 million, achieving his goal of raising 1 dollar for every Canadian at that time. This year in London, Terry’s younger brother Darrell Fox will also be joining the run in support of the foundation.
Inspired by Terry, Four Seasons Founder and Chairman Isadore Sharp personally pledged to Terry’s cause and wrote to 999 other Canadian executives urging them to support cancer research. Sadly Terry succumbed to the disease the following year.
The first Terry Fox Run was thus organised by Sharp and Four Seasons and held in 1981, and today there are more than 9,000 annual Terry Fox Runs around the world, all volunteer led and organised. To date more than 500 million pounds has been raised in aid of this inspiring cause.
The UK Terry Fox Association has partnered with The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), one of the world’s leading cancer research organisations, with an unparalleled record of academic excellence in cancer discoveries for more than 100 years. Partnering with the ICR means all the money raised for the UK charity stays in the UK for cancer research.
Make it happen
How: Free to enter. Those interested in participating can register here.
When: September 18, 2022
Where: Battersea Park, London SW11 4NJ
