What to know
- Run Terry Run uses restored archival footage from 1980 to 1981 to give an intimate look at Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope, highlighting his humour, humility and optimism.
- The film explores key moments in Terry’s run, including his emotional reception at Scarborough Civic Centre and the point when he began questioning whether he could finish.
- The documentary emphasizes Terry’s lasting impact: he initially aimed to raise $1 million for cancer research, and the Marathon of Hope has now raised $1 billion as of 2026.
- The film deeply moved audiences while showing Terry as someone who never wanted to be put on a pedestal.
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This review contains mild spoilers for the film Run Terry Run.
As both a Canadian and a human, it feels wrong to review a film like this one, because it’s not just a film; it’s someone’s life story — one of the most notable Canadians there is.
Run Terry Run shares archival footage of Terry Fox’s life, restored from a series of 1980 and 1981 film reels that were almost lost to time.
The documentary follows Terry’s initial Marathon of Hope run, from start to finish, alongside key narrators: Toronto Star journalist Leslie Scrivener, Terry’s younger brother Darrell Fox, and Terry’s best friend Doug Alward.
As someone who lives and has lived in the heart of nearly every Canadian child, the film further humanizes Terry and gives an intimate look at his life, challenges, and experience during his run.
Run Terry Run shows Terry’s personality — his humility, his humour, and his unwavering optimism.
As a 21-year-old who was dealt difficult cards in life and who had every right to be upset and pessimistic, Terry chose to overcome.
It’s no wonder many of those who watched the film later told Now Toronto he was an inspiration.
As a proud Scarborough-born and raised resident myself, the importance of Scarborough Centre within the film made me proud. After a difficult first leg of the run, Terry was met with a massive crowd of supporters within the Scarborough Civic Centre, totalling hundreds of fans.
It’s also a moment that is speculated by Terry’s loved ones, who believed Terry began to feel unwell in Scarborough, after he told the crowd there was a chance he might not finish the race.
Moments like these pulled at audience members’ heartstrings.
There were multiple moments when there was not a dry eye in Roy Thomson Hall, especially when it was revealed near the end of the film that Terry aimed to raise $1 million for cancer research while he ran; he ended up raising $24 million following a telethon before his death, according to Darrell. This number meant $1 was raised for every Canadian in the country.
Ultimately, $1 billion has been raised as part of the Marathon of Hope by Terry Fox Run Day 2026.
At the end of the film, Darrell Fox, Terry’s brother, was met with a standing ovation for his own time helping Terry, and as someone who was another branch during the Marathon of Hope.
The audience was evidently moved by the documentary, with tears, cheers and laughs throughout its screening.
As the film pointed out, when Terry was alive, only 20 per cent of youth survived cancer — that number has since jumped to 85 per cent in 2026.
The film made it clear that Terry was not one to like attention pointed at him, or to be placed on a pedestal.
While I’m not sure if he would enjoy the attention and praise he received due to his efforts and Run Terry Run, Terry surely would be proud of the impact he had and the amount of money raised so far for cancer research.
