Sunlight crested over Kempenfelt Bay as runners gathered, laces double-knotted and hearts set on an audacious goal: to propel Barrie’s Terry Fox Run into uncharted fundraising territory.
The city’s annual Terry Fox Run, now in its forty-fifth year, drew upwards of 700 participants on September 14, 2025. What began as one man’s marathon across Canada has become an enduring local tradition—one that Barrie residents have made their own. Well before the starting horn, more than $82,000 had already poured in for cancer research from a single city.
Organizer Marilyn Nigro observed, with a hint of astonishment, that she had “never seen it like this” in years past. Her confidence was palpable: Barrie held its gaze firmly on the $100,000 milestone, even before the first kilometre was logged. Across the country, more than 600 communities echoed this ambition, but Barrie’s surge stood out for its intensity and timing.
This year’s outpouring is anchored in the legacy of Terry Fox, whose 1980 Marathon of Hope etched a promise into Canada’s collective memory. Each September, that promise is renewed, with communities channeling stories of loss, hope, and resilience into tangible action. In Barrie, the response was swift and uncommonly generous, reflecting both the urgency of the cause and the deep roots the run has put down in local soil.
Neighbouring towns rallied as well, with Orillia raising more than $43,000—eclipsing their original goal—and communities from Aurora to Huntsville reporting surges that sidestepped expectations. Yet, Barrie’s momentum is notable not simply for the funds raised, but for what it signals: a community refusing complacency, year after year, in the face of a challenge that touches every family.
With donations still being counted, Barrie appears set to break its own records, buoyed by the kind of collective determination that Terry Fox himself embodied. The finish line, it seems, is a moving target—always just ahead, always worth chasing.
References:
Local Terry Fox runs raise hundreds of thousands for cancer research
