A new documentary trailer showcasing never-before-seen footage of Terry Fox was unveiled today, a month before its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Titled “Run Terry Run,” the film provides an intimate glimpse into the 1980 Marathon of Hope undertaken by the British Columbia athlete and cancer research advocate. The trailer includes insightful commentary from key figures such as van driver Doug Alward, Terry Fox’s brother Darrell Fox, and Fox himself as he embarked on his cross-Canada run to raise funds for cancer research post his leg amputation due to osteogenic sarcoma.
Director Sean Menard from Toronto obtained nearly 100 reels of recently recovered archival footage captured by filmmaker John Simpson, who documented Fox’s journey with a team of camera operators from the East Coast. Menard’s search, backed by the Terry Fox Foundation, led to the discovery of this footage in a storage unit in Toronto, a few blocks away from his home. The footage was meticulously restored to 4K quality and utilized in the creation of the documentary, which premiered at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto last year.
Notably, the documentary eschews traditional interview formats and instead relies on voiceovers from key individuals such as Alward, Darrell Fox, Leslie Scrivener, the first journalist to cover the Marathon of Hope, and Darryl Sittler, the former captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs who ran alongside Terry during a segment of the marathon.
Terry Fox initiated his marathon on April 12, 1980, following a cancer diagnosis three years earlier. Despite falling short of his goal to run from St. John’s to Victoria, Fox covered 5,373 kilometers before halting near Thunder Bay, Ontario, due to cancer spreading to his lungs. The Marathon of Hope raised over $24 million at the time, equivalent to $1 per Canadian. In a recent milestone, the Terry Fox Foundation surpassed $1 billion in funds raised for cancer research.
Over the years, Terry Fox has been the subject of various documentaries, with his image set to appear on Canada’s upcoming $5 banknote. Menard’s documentary aims to portray the growth and challenges faced by Fox during his journey, culminating in his iconic legacy. The film features an original score by composer Tom Caffey and is set to premiere at TIFF on September 19, preceding the 46th annual Terry Fox Run, with a theatrical release scheduled for October 9, 2026.