A new documentary showcasing previously unseen footage of Terry Fox’s iconic 1980 Marathon of Hope has unveiled its trailer a month prior to its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Titled “Run Terry Run,” the film utilizes nearly 100 reels of recovered archival material to provide an intimate glimpse into the journey of the British Columbia athlete and cancer research advocate.
The trailer includes insights and reflections from key figures such as van driver Doug Alward, Terry Fox’s brother Darrell Fox, and Terry Fox himself, offering poignant moments from his cross-Canada run aimed at raising funds for cancer research following the amputation of his leg due to osteogenic sarcoma.
Director Sean Menard from Toronto obtained the original footage from filmmaker John Simpson, who documented Fox’s run with a team of camera operators across the country. The footage, believed to have been discarded, was found in a storage unit in Toronto with the assistance of the Terry Fox Foundation.
After meticulously restoring the film reels to 4K quality, Menard screened the documentary at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto last year. The film avoids traditional interviews, opting instead for voiceovers by individuals closely linked to Fox’s journey, including Leslie Scrivener, the first journalist to cover the Marathon of Hope, and Darryl Sittler, former captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Terry Fox initiated his marathon on April 12, 1980, with the goal of running from St. John’s to Victoria. Despite having to halt his attempt near Thunder Bay, Ontario, due to cancer spreading to his lungs, Fox’s efforts raised over $24 million at the time, symbolizing a dollar donated by every Canadian. The Terry Fox Foundation recently announced surpassing $1 billion in funds raised for cancer research.
The documentary captures Fox’s transformation from a 21-year-old with a profound idea to a young man navigating the global spotlight while pushing his physical boundaries. Accompanied by an original score composed by Tom Caffey, known for his work on the Michael Jordan documentary series “The Last Dance,” “Run Terry Run” will premiere at TIFF on September 19, preceding the 46th annual Terry Fox Run, with a theatrical release set for October 9, 2026.