Okotoks saw a great turnout for the 44th annual Terry Fox Run on Sunday (Sept. 15), both with the number of participants and funds raised.
This was Steve Preece’s first time organizing the Okotoks run, and it was held in a new location.
He says Sheep River Park proved to be a great starting point for the run, especially with the weather turning out the way it did.
"The new site proved to be terrific in the sense that it's a lovely setting, lots of room for people to gather, and it's a pretty run to do."
While many Okotokians showed up for the run, they also showed up for the cause, topping previous years’ fundraising amounts by a wide margin.
"We'd been averaging about $4,000 in terms of money raised each run over the last decade or so. This year we achieved almost $13,000 in raised funds."
Two-time world champion curler David Murdoch served as the run’s celebrity starter.
"I said at the run that Terry was Athlete of the Year in 1980, and it was kind of appropriate that we had another world-class athlete open Terry's run this past Sunday," says Preece.
He estimates that between 75 and 150 people participated in the Okotoks run.
As in previous years, Fountain Tire Okotoks, Sobeys, and Save on Foods provided hot dogs, water, and snacks for the participants, with leftovers being donated to the Okotoks Food Bank.
All things considered, Preece feels this year’s event was a resounding success.
"It takes a lot of people to do this, there were volunteers, there were community contributions from many of the businesses in town, and that all contributed to a successful run."
Donations can still be made on the Terry Fox Foundation website.