A new documentary on Terry Fox, showcasing previously unseen footage, unveiled its trailer today, a month before its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Titled “Run Terry Run,” the film delves into the 1980 Marathon of Hope by the British Columbia athlete and cancer research advocate, using nearly 100 recently recovered archival reels.
The trailer includes conversations and insights from key figures like van driver Doug Alward, Terry Fox’s brother Darrell Fox, and Terry Fox himself, reflecting on his determination to run across Canada post his leg amputation due to cancer. Director Sean Menard from Toronto restored the raw footage obtained from filmmaker John Simpson, who documented Fox’s journey with multiple cameras.
Menard’s quest for firsthand documentation of Fox’s marathon, supported by the Terry Fox Foundation, led to the discovery of the footage in a Toronto storage unit. The footage was enhanced to 4K quality for the documentary, which premiered at Roy Thomson Hall last year, showcasing voices like Alward, Darrell Fox, Leslie Scrivener, and Darryl Sittler.
Terry Fox initiated his marathon on April 12, 1980, aiming to run from St. John’s to Victoria but had to halt near Thunder Bay, Ont., due to cancer spread, covering 5,373 kilometers. Despite Fox’s passing in 1981, his marathon raised over $24 million then, with the Terry Fox Foundation surpassing $1 billion in cancer research funding. Fox has been featured in various documentaries before, with his image set to appear on Canada’s $5 banknote in 2024.
Menard emphasized the growth of Fox from a young, ambitious runner to a confident individual managing the global attention in his film. The documentary features an original score by composer Tom Caffey and is set to premiere at TIFF on Sept. 19, preceding the 46th Terry Fox Run, with a theatrical release slated for Oct. 9, 2026.