1K Miles of Hope | Ep. 01: This Is How It Starts

This is the first post in the 1K Miles of Hope series — a running journal documenting a 100-day challenge I'm starting on June 28, 2026.

The Challenge

100 consecutive days. 10 miles per day. 1,000 miles total.

No rest days. No skipping. Every mile matters.

The rules are simple: run every single day, log every mile, and raise as much money as possible for cancer research through the Terry Fox Foundation. This post is day zero — the starting line before the starting line.

Who Was Terry Fox?

Before I explain why I'm doing this, you need to know who Terry Fox was.

In 1977, at 18 years old, Terry Fox was diagnosed with osteosarcoma — bone cancer. His right leg was amputated above the knee. While recovering in the hospital, surrounded by children and adults losing their battles with cancer, he made a decision most people would consider impossible: he was going to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

He didn't just want to raise awareness. He wanted to raise money. Real money. For real science.

On April 12, 1980, Terry dipped his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean in St. John's, Newfoundland — and started running. He called it the Marathon of Hope.

He ran a full marathon every single day. 42 kilometers. On one leg. In all weather conditions. Across mountains, plains, and highways. Alone on the road for most of it, with a small support van trailing behind.

By the time he reached Thunder Bay, Ontario — 143 days and 5,373 kilometers later — cancer had spread to his lungs. He had to stop. He was taken to hospital.

On June 28, 1981, Terry Fox died. He was 22 years old.

He never finished the run. But the Marathon of Hope never stopped.

The Terry Fox Foundation

After his death, the Terry Fox Foundation was created to continue what he started.

Since 1981, the Foundation has raised over $850 million CAD for cancer research — funding scientists across Canada and around the world working to understand, treat, and ultimately find a cure for cancer.

Terry's goal was to raise $1 for every Canadian. He ended up funding something far greater: decades of research that has changed how cancer is understood and treated.

The Foundation runs the annual Terry Fox Run — a non-competitive community event held every September in more than 9,000 communities across Canada and in over 30 countries. Millions of people participate. Every dollar goes directly to cancer research.

No corporate overhead paid by donations. No athlete appearance fees. Just research.

Why I'm Running

In 2017, my father was diagnosed with skin cancer.

He wasn't the first. I had already watched uncles — three of them — lose their battles to cancer. Liver. Stomach. Kidney. The word metastasis became something I understood before I should have had to.

When my father received his diagnosis, I didn't fully understand the difference in mortality rates between cancer types. I only knew one thing: this disease had been stealing people I loved, and it was now standing at my father's door.

He survived. But I didn't walk away from that chapter unchanged.

The 1K Miles of Hope is my answer to that chapter — a way to turn something personal into something useful. Every mile I run converts into donations for scientists who are working to make sure fewer families go through what mine did.

The Plan

Start date: June 28, 2026 End date: October 5, 2026 Daily distance: 10 miles (≈ 16 km) Total distance: 1,000 miles (≈ 1,609 km) Fundraising platform: Terry Fox Foundation — International Campaign

I chose June 28 deliberately. It is the date Terry Fox died. It felt right to start on the day his run was forced to stop — and to carry it forward.

Each episode in this series will document the miles, the mindset, and whatever else shows up over 100 days on the road. The good days and the ones where every step is a negotiation.

How You Can Help

The simplest thing: donate.

Every dollar goes to the Terry Fox Foundation and directly funds cancer research. There is no minimum. There is no maximum. Whatever you can give moves the needle.

[Donate here →](https://international.terryfox.ca/page/1k-miles-of-hope)

You can also follow the journey through this series. Every entry will be published here — honest, unfiltered, and mile by mile.

The run starts in eight days.

See you on the road.