The Terry Fox Foundation Calls on Canadians to Commemorate the 30th
Anniversary of the Marathon of Hope

- Canadian Winter Olympians and Paralympians lend their Name to Charity Auction -

TORONTO, Sept. 2 /CNW/ - The Terry Fox Foundation today announced plans for a commemorative on-line auction offering Canadians the chance to bid on one of 30 pairs of "Medallist Edition" Replica Shoes, signed by medal-winning Canadian Olympians and Paralympians from the Vancouver Winter Games. The shoes will be available for auction on eBay starting September 7th and ending on September 21st.

In addition to the shoes, people can purchase 30th Anniversary commemorative shoelaces for $5 at adidas stores across the country or through The Terry Fox Foundation.  One hundred per cent of revenue from the sale of the shoes and shoelaces will go directly to The Terry Fox Foundation for cancer research.

"While heartbreaking for us at the time, Terry's Marathon of Hope built a lasting legacy to raise money for cancer research," said Betty Fox, Terry's mother.  "Originally, I didn't want Terry to attempt to run across Canada.  I asked why he couldn't just run across B.C.  Because he said not only people in B.C. get cancer.  I couldn't argue with that."

"Terry always saw himself as an athlete and he was particularly proud of receiving the Lou Marsh Award in 1980.  Today, however, Terry would be humbled to have such great Canadian Olympians and Paralympians paying tribute to his athleticism and dream to find a cure for cancer."

Winter Olympians and Paralympians Sign 30 Replica Shoes

It's an impressive list of Olympian and Paralympian athletes, who each signed one stripe on each pair of the replica shoes: 

- Jasey Jay Anderson - Cheryl Bernard - Viviane Forest - Kristina Groves - Francois Hamelin - Charles Hamelin - Jenn Heil - Clara Hughes - Kaillie Humphries - Ashleigh McIvor - Brian McKeever - Scott Moir - Jon Montgomery - Denny Morrison

- Heather Moyse - Darryl Neighbour - Christine Nesbitt - Kalyna Roberge - Mike Robertson - Joannie Rochette - Maëlle Ricker - Lyndon Rush - Marianne St-Gelais - Helen Upperton - Tania Vicent - Tessa Virtue - Lauren Woolstencroft - Bruno Yizek

"Speaking on behalf of all the athletes, I can tell you we were honoured to have been asked by The Terry Fox Foundation to participate in this exciting initiative," said Helen Upperton, a Silver Medallist in Two-Women Bobsleigh at the Vancouver Winter Games. "He is a true Canadian hero and his determination inspires all Canadians to this day."    

The 30 pairs of "Medallist Edition" Replica Shoes, called the Orion TF, are true to the 1979 model that Terry ran in for an average of 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day, for 143 days straight.  Packaged in a limited edition collector's case, each pair of the iconic indigo blue shoes - with a map of the Marathon of Hope on the sole liner - will be accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. The shoes will be auctioned on eBay at: http://myworld.ebay.ca/theterryfoxfoundation

"We hope all Canadians can support Terry's dream to outrun cancer by taking part in the online auction, purchasing shoelaces or participating in this year's run," said Steve Ralph, President of adidas Canada.  "We were happy to support Terry's effort 30 years ago and our company and its employees will continue to do so with great enthusiasm into the future."    

The Marathon of Hope

On April 12th, 1980, Terry Fox dipped his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean in St. John's, Nfld., to begin a remarkable run that would grow into a lasting legacy to raise money for cancer research. People greeted him warmly as he journeyed through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. However, on September 1st, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles), Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. An entire nation was stunned and saddened. Terry passed away on June 28th, 1981 at the age of 22.

Terry far surpassed his initial goal of raising $1 million for cancer research. To date, The Terry Fox Foundation has raised over $500 million dollars for cancer research.  This year, the 30th Anniversary Terry Fox Run for cancer research will take place on Sunday, September 19th across Canada and in more than 30 countries around the world. The National School Day Run will take place on Thursday, September 30th.  To participate, or donate to The Terry Fox Foundation to help find a cure for cancer, please visit: www.terryfox.org.

For further information:

Andrew Findlater 
SELECT Public Relations
[email protected]
416-659-1197