Documentary revives Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope

Sean Menard’s documentary Run Terry Run premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, using archival footage to tell the story of Terry Fox’s 1980 attempt to run across Canada for cancer research. Fox began his Marathon of Hope at age 21, aiming to raise money and awareness. His efforts eventually generated over $1 billion and funded more than 1,300 research projects.

The film highlights a moment when Fox felt his work had meaning after meeting a young boy with cancer in Thunder Bay. Mat Haley, a Canadian man whose four-year-old daughter Emma was diagnosed with cancer in 2025, connected with Fox’s story on a personal level. Haley is now preparing to run in the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon to raise money for the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, inspired by Fox’s endurance and determination.

Emma, now in remission, plans to cheer her father on at the marathon’s finish line, which is the same location where Terry Fox addressed a large crowd in 1980. Haley reflects on the difficulty of imagining Fox’s physical and emotional struggle while running with a prosthetic leg and battling cancer. The annual Terry Fox Run takes place across Canada every year, and Run Terry Run will open in theatres on October 9.