Cross-country Ride of Hope reaches Winnipeg, over $900K raised so far

To mark the 45th anniversary of the Marathon of Hope, the Ride of Hope made a stop in Winnipeg.

A cross-country cycling trip to raise funds for cancer research reached Winnipeg on Thursday—having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars along the way.

The National Ride of Hope commemorates the 45th anniversary of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope, raising funds for the Terry Fox Foundation to support life-saving cancer research.

Led by Darrell Fox, Terry’s younger brother, the group of eight cyclists left Vancouver, B.C. on June 9 and intends to ride roughly 7,000 kilometres over 32 days to St. John’s, N.L.

Darrell, who grew up in Winnipeg, said that it’s exciting and a tad emotional to return to his hometown, speaking to CTV News at Assiniboine Park.

“To make it here and to get this warm reception here is absolutely wonderful,” he said.

Darrell said the bike ride is “easy” compared to his brother’s marathon by foot, but added that there’s still work do to in the fight against cancer.

As of Thursday, the National Ride of Hope has raised over $900,000, nearing in on the goal of raising $1 million.

The Marathon of Hope began in 1980 after Terry was diagnosed with bone cancer and decided to run across Canada to raise funds for cancer research.

Terry ran from St. John’s, N.L. on an artificial leg to just outside Thunder Bay, Ont., where he was forced to stop after cancer appeared in his lungs. He passed away from cancer nine months later on June 28, 1981.

“We’ve come a long way in the last 45 years in terms of finding the answers to the disease that is cancer,” said Darrell.

“If Terry was diagnosed with Osteogenic Sarcoma today, he’d likely live. That can’t change history for me, but it’s certainly changing what could happen in the future, and that’s what Terry wanted us to do.”

On July 10, the group plans to arrive in St. John’s, N.L. where Terry began his marathon by dipping his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Terry Fox Foundation has since raised more than $900 million and funded 1,300 innovative cancer research projects, according to a media release.

Donations to the National Ride of Hope in support of cancer research can be made online.