Sunny skies, warm weather, and a great cause brought almost 200 Summerland residents out on Sunday to run, walk, wheel and ride in the 34th Annual Terry Fox Run.
It was one of the strongest showings of community support for the event, with 194 participants and 40 volunteers.
Photos can be found on the event’s Facebook page, Terry Fox Run 2014 – Summerland.
The event raised just over $7,000, bringing the cumulative total that Summerland has raised for the Terry Fox Foundation to over $55,000.
The atmosphere was both upbeat and reflective as participants spoke of family members and friends for whom they were running or walking.
Participants also had the opportunity to write words of encouragement and remembrance on the large ‘I’m Running For…’ poster.
Several Terry’s Team volunteers, identified by their red shirts, were on hand to greet participants throughout the event. These individuals, all of whom are cancer survivors, offered hope and inspiration, much like Terry Fox himself.
The Summerland Fire Department, along with Sparky the Fire Dog, were on hand to start the event. The ORCA Swim Club hosted the one-kilometre walk around the downtown core.
In addition to businesses and organizations which sponsored the event, volunteers helped to set up, register participants, serve refreshments and mark the one-kilometre, three-kilometre and five-kilometre routes.
Nine Summerland Secondary School students were on hand to help with route marshalling and traffic control.
This is the last year Keith Johnson served as the coordinator of the Summerland Terry Fox Run. He has coordinated the run for the past five years.
Next year’s run will be held Sunday, Sept. 20.
