Over a thousand people gathered at Mile 0 on Sunday for the 39th annual Terry Fox Run.
The non-competitive 5-kilometre run along Dallas road is in support of the Terry Fox Foundation, and Darren Wark, an organizer of the event, says they raised a lot of money.
"So at the Terry Fox Run at Mile 0, we raised approximately $29,000 to $30,000, the numbers haven't totally been added up yet. And then at the Hair-Do at the same site, mostly from the fire departments in the region, we received $7,000, for a total of close to $37,000."
The Hair-Do is a head shave event, that has raised over $120,760 since 2007. Meanwhile, the run has raised $787,350 in it's 38 years of fundraising, bringing the grand total close to $950,000. Wark says he hopes next year's run will push Victoria to a new milestone.
"Next year is the 40th anniversary, and it falls on September 20, 2020, so some pretty good round numbers there. So we're hoping that Victoria can reach the magic $1,000,000 mark, we're hoping that's going to be in the 50 to $60,000 range of fundraising. So we're going to start some initiatives pretty quick, and if people have ideas on ways that they can raise money for Terry Fox, then by all means, let's get it happening."
For every dollar raised for the foundation, 79 cents goes to funding cancer research projects, and Wark says there are lots of them underway right now.
"There's a glioblastoma [research project], there's pancreatic cancer research, there's lots of children's cancer research going on. I think there's somewhere in the neighbourhood of 40 or 50 projects, separate projects, that are on the go."
He says a team from the Terry Fox Foundation looks over applications, and after an evaluation process, will decide whether or not to fund the research projects. Wark adds the funding is based on criteria, which must be met throughout the project term in order to continue to receive funding.
Two other Terry Fox Runs were also held in Greater Victoria on Sunday. 60 participants turned up in Central Saanich, where close to $6,000 was raised at that run, and in the West Shore 60 runners raised about $4,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation.
More information on the Terry Fox Foundation and the projects it supports can be found at the Terry Fox Research Institute's website.