THE STORY – A behind-the-scenes look at Canadian icon Terry Fox’s legendary 1980 Marathon of Hope.
THE CAST – Terry Fox, Darrell Fox, Doug Alward, Leslie Scrivener, Darryl Sittler, & Bill Vigars
THE TEAM – Sean Menard (Director)
THE RUNNING TIME – 108 Minutes
It’s been a banner year for Canadian filmmakers. Take the theatrical releases of Sophy Romvari’s “Blue Heron,” Chandler Levack’s “Mile End Kicks,” and Matt Johnson’s “Nirvanna the Band, the Show, the Movie.” All screened at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival and went on to find success in various forms. Most notably, this trifecta of stories has resonated with audiences. Their work invites us to reflect on what we can achieve with an assured voice, along with limited resources in an economically tough cinematic landscape. These films have also reshaped ideas about what defines Canadian cinema. Adding to the list, Sean Menard’s “Run Terry Run” covers the Canadian odyssey of an extraordinary athlete who gave his strength to a 143-day marathon across the country.
If you ask Canadians about Terry Fox, you’ll likely get a wide range of reactions. Older generations may have crossed paths with him. Perhaps they supported Fox on the streets as he ran through communities from province to province. Perhaps they wrote about Fox in newspapers, covering how the 21-year-old’s personal cancer diagnosis set him running 26 miles a day on an artificial leg. Younger generations may have learned about Terry Fox in school, and recognize his face from history books. Or perhaps his name echoes in the minds of those who have their own cancer stories to share. From a historic 1980 Marathon of Hope, a mythicized symbol of Canadian identity was born. Political leaders projected his image onto the nation, notably during the 1980 Quebec referendum, when Quebecers were on the verge of supporting independence from Canada.
The film deftly mines these perceptions to reach the inspired heart of who Fox was as a person. Sean Menard avoids putting his subject on a pristine pedestal. Instead, “Run Terry Run” invites a grounded depiction of Fox’s self-motivation and exhaustion underneath the public’s optimism and goodwill. Everything that Fox stood for was present in how he approached running. After having his leg amputated due to bone cancer and while undergoing treatments, he became inspired by other patients’ stories. He also noticed systemic underfunding during said treatments, which encouraged him to raise money and awareness for cancer research. In April 1980, Fox began running in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. His best friend, Doug Alward, trailed closely behind in a camper van, used as Fox’s mobile home during the run. The early stages of Fox’s marathon went under the radar, but reporter Leslie Scrivener saw a story in his humility.
The first journalist to cover Fox’s marathon, Scrivener began “Running with Terry,” a modest newspaper piece on the bottom page of the Toronto Star. Using her audio as narration, the film draws an engaging journalistic connection to Terry’s accomplishments. Scrivener’s perspective helps piece together how Fox’s legacy unfolded in real-time. It also works structurally as a counter to the tired “talking heads” format that documentaries often employ. The framework of Scrivener’s reporting maintains Fox’s Marathon of Hope as the clear focus. It’s a treat listening to the key qualities she recognized in his actions, which struck a chord across the entire country. Letters, drawings, and donations from the public catapulted “Running with Terry” into a sensation.
The film makes a point of recognizing how this story was undermined as a puff piece in a cynical newsroom, and how subsequent reporting outside of Scrivener’s work mined for more gossip-driven stories. The camper van, in particular, later joined by Terry’s brother, Darrell Fox, became a water cooler where reporters sought out “scandalous” personal drama. There’s no doubt the Fox team faced moments of frustration and exhaustion on this journey, and the film briefly touches on that vulnerability but glosses over it. However, it does highlight the tension between tabloid reporting and authentic journalism. At one point, Bill Vigars, who later became Fox’s publicist, joined the marathon, steering conversations away from tabloid-like media portrayals and toward the heart of Fox’s accomplishments.
Using wonderfully restored archive footage from director John Simpson, “Run Terry Run” intently follows a road of transparency. The archives draw an intimate connection to Fox’s mindset and the physical and emotional pressure he fought through daily. Structured around this footage, the film takes a grounded look at Fox throughout, offering some key insights about his character along the way. Rather than endorsing corporations and partnering with brands, Fox maintained his focus on raising money and helping people. When his marathon attracted national headlines, people across the country began showing up to greet Fox at various checkpoints of his run. The film gradually expands to include footage of crowds cheering from the sidelines and gathering to hear his humble speeches. This is where the structure becomes repetitive, as it returns to the same blueprint of Fox reaching a new location and addressing a crowd. While certainly inspiring, these events are used redundantly and offer little revelatory material.
However flawed, the film has a clear focus and gets to the core of what made Terry Fox’s enduring legacy so inspiring. There’s a beauty to not yet crossing a finish line. Fox didn’t run towards one destination in particular. He ran towards the possibilities of an open road ahead. Embarking on this marathon became about how much money he could raise to help others who are fighting an uphill battle. As cliché as it sounds, the journey resonates far more than the destination, and Fox’s story serves as one of the most fitting examples of this sentiment. The film also offers a resonant reimagining of how he became a symbol of Canadian identity, which itself cannot be reduced to a single definition. Much like Canadian cinema, it’s shaped by a rich tapestry of international voices, each bringing their vision to a shared community. As “Run Terry Run” shows, Fox ran towards an unwavering vision with determination and resilience, inspiring others to do the same.
