Register for Tillsonburg's Terry Fox Run
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Tillsonburg's annual Terry Fox Run on Sunday, September 18 will feel familiar to any of the 170 people who were at the 35th anniversary event last year.
"We have the same three routes - 3 km, 5 km and 10 km," said organizer Anne Ploss, noting the Terry Fox Run starts at the Cardio Plus parking lot at 518 Broadway.
Registration is at 9:30 a.m. and the Run begins at 10 a.m. It will be wheelchair accessible, she noted, and people can walk or run, ride bikes or rollerblade. Refreshments will be available afterwards.
There will be one new change this year, said Ploss.
"We're not handing out plastic water bottles for participants. We'll have jugs with water, and hand out water in paper cups. But we are trying to be a little more environmentally friendly, so we are going to do away with plastic water bottles. People are free - and encouraged - to bring their own water bottles, and we'll fill them there for people. But we won't be handing out plastic water bottles after the run like we normally do."
Typically they end up with about three garbage bags of waste, she said, which they sort through afterwards for recycling.
"It's a lot of work and I think people would be surprised at how much waste we create... and picking up half-empty water bottles all along the route and in the parking lot, it's a lot of extra time that's created there, too. We want to keep the run-site clean, McLaughlins let us have that parking lot for the Run and we want to make sure we leave it nice and tidy.
"For sure, it's more environmentally friendly to just bring water," she said, noting they also have three water stations on the routes. "Our water in Tillsonburg is terrific and they can use that."
Last year there were 170 Terry Fox Run participants, who raised just over $16,500.
"We're hoping that we can meet that same goal this year. Last year was an anniversary year - sometimes that's when it really peaks for attendance and donations, but we're hoping to maybe make that same goal this year.
"We were hoping to get $1 for every person in Tillsonburg, so we were really excited to exceed that goal last year."
The Terry Fox Foundation fundraising event happens rain or shine, but they are hoping it shines like it has the past eight-plus years.
"We've always had beautiful sunny weather, since I've been organizing and participating in it, so we're hoping to have that again this year," said Ploss.
Terry Fox T-shirts can be purchased in advance online, and there will be a limited selection on site. Terry Fox pins and ribbons are given away on Run Day.
T-shirts are available for purchase rather than 'free', said Ploss, because it means more of the funds raised go to cancer research.
"At a lot of events you get a free T-shirt. But you have to ask yourself, where is that money coming from? It's coming from what people donate. So if you buy a T-shirt... the money you've raised is going to the cause."
The Terry Fox Run has a new T-shirt design every year and some people like to collect them all, said Ploss. Others may not need or want another T-shirt, and they can decline without it being automatically deducted from funds they raised.
"It is all about making sure that all monies collected are for the intended purpose. That was Terry's vision."
People can find out where that money goes at terryfox.org, which includes information on administration costs and cancer research.
"It's very transparent. In this day and age, I think it is very important that we know where the money goes that we've been donating."
Pledges can also be made online.
"Even if people can't attend, they are certainly welcome to find someone to donate to," said Ploss, who will be manning a Terry Fox Run booth at The Tillsonburg Town Centre mall on Friday, Sept. 9 and Saturday, Sept. 10.
"For people to get pledge sheets, or any kind of information. I'll have maps of the route, and if anyone would like to pre-register with me, they can on those days. Or if they'd like to leave a donation, they can also do that."
She will also return to the mall on Friday, Sept. 16.
"That way if people have any questions, they can ask me there."