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Big crowd, big bucks, big smiles at 2023 Penticton Terry Fox Run

It's been tough recently for local events, what with wildfires and rockslides impacting just about everything.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia/Gord Goble</who>

But Sunday morning's Terry Fox Run was anything but anemic.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia/Gord Goble</who>

A big, charged-up crowd of 160-plus gathered early Sunday just outside the SS Sicamous for the start of the Penticton edition of the venerable fundraiser prompted by the superhuman exploits of Terry Fox more than 40 years ago.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia/Gord Goble</who>

A few moments after 10 am, they'd embark on a course that would see them run/walk/ride south alongside the scenic Penticton River channel to their halfway point, turn around and come back again. Some would do the full five-kilometer route, others the two- and one-kilometer variants.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia/Gord Goble</who>

And in the end, in excess of $10,000 was raised for cancer research.

Both the number of participants and the money total made local Run organizer Kevin Harvey, who assumed the role six years ago, a very happy wan.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia/Gord Goble</who>

"It was a great atmosphere today," he said afterward. "You could tell everybody was feeling good.

"The number of participants was certainly the most we've had out there since I've been doing it. The dollars were the most we've had since I've been doing it.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia/Gord Goble</who>

"But it's the people who come out to support Terry that really gets me going. We had ten people today who wanted to volunteer for next year. That's just great."

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia/Gord Goble</who>

As a bonus, the Penticton iteration of the Run is quickly becoming a place to see and be seen. Amongst the crowd Sunday were people like Mayor Julius Bloomfield, Councilor Campbell Watt, celebrated endurance athlete Dave Matheson and wife Tina Matheson, and all-world race announcer Steve King.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia/Gord Goble</who>

And above all else there was Doug Alward, Terry Fox's closest confidant and driver during Fox's astonishing 1980 Marathon of Hope.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia/Gord Goble</who> Doug Alward addresses the crowd

How lucky are we to have Alward here in Penticton year after year at his good buddy's namesake run?

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia/Gord Goble</who>

Answer: Very.

As it turns out though, Fox wasn't the only person in Alward's life taken by cancer. Just in the past year and a half, both of his brothers, one aged 65 and the other 74, succumbed to the disease.

"You don’t think it can happen to somebody you know," Alward told PentictonNow just prior to Sunday's start. "Then it happens to your best friend, when he's young. Then you have two brothers who lived quite healthy for most of their lives pass on from cancer.

"Life is fragile."

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia/Gord Goble</who>

But Sunday, nothing could keep Alward down. He was a beacon throughout the event, chatting with those who wanted to, commiserating with others, and posing for pics with anyone who had a camera.

"Things have changed over the years," he said in reference to the latest strides in cancer research.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia/Gord Goble</who>

"I saw on the news last night a story about a young woman who had the same cancer as Terry. I don't know if they cut part of her knee out, but she's fine. All these advancements that are coming from research, from better prevention, from better treatments."

Preach, Doug.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia/Gord Goble</who>

For more info on the Penticton Terry Fox Run, go here.



Send your comments, news tips, typos, letter to the editor, photos and videos to [email protected].



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