The unveiling of a fresh documentary on Terry Fox, showcasing never-seen-before footage, occurred today, a month in advance of its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Titled “Run Terry Run,” the documentary offers an intimate perspective on Terry Fox’s 1980 Marathon of Hope through the use of nearly 100 newly recovered archival reels.
In the trailer, viewers are treated to insights and reflections from key figures such as van driver and friend Doug Alward, Terry Fox’s younger brother Darrell Fox, and Terry Fox himself as he embarked on his remarkable journey to run across Canada following a leg amputation due to cancer. The trailer captures Fox expressing his thoughts on his journey and determination, including his sentiments about finishing in Vancouver.
Director Sean Menard from Toronto managed to retrieve the raw footage, previously thought lost, from filmmaker John Simpson, who had documented Fox’s run with multiple cameras from the East Coast. Menard’s quest was motivated by the scarcity of high-quality footage available on Fox’s marathon. With assistance from the Terry Fox Foundation, Menard located the footage in a Toronto storage unit near his residence, subsequently restoring it to 4K quality for his film.
The documentary, which excludes conventional interview formats, relies on voiceovers from individuals such as Alward, Darrell Fox, Leslie Scrivener, and Darryl Sittler, offering a unique perspective on Terry Fox’s journey. Despite Fox’s life being tragically cut short in 1981 due to cancer, his Marathon of Hope managed to raise over $24 million at the time, with the Terry Fox Foundation recently surpassing $1 billion in funds for cancer research.
Terry Fox has been the focal point of several documentaries in the past, with his legacy being commemorated on the upcoming $5 Canadian banknote in 2024. Menard’s documentary on Terry Fox is set to premiere at TIFF on September 19, ahead of the annual Terry Fox Run, with a planned theatrical release on October 9, 2026.