Virtual Terry Fox Run 2020 Highlights

On 10th October, 2020, around 600 people made the Terry Fox Run a grand success. Canadian International School Bangalore held a virtual opening ceremony at 8:30 a.m. that morning to kickstart the event. Soon after the marathon finished, we received a lot of enthusiasm from various participants who shared tons of awesome pictures of their experiences! We were happy to see so many people take this challenge on with zeal.

As Covid-19 took us by surprise it took a lot more commitment and planning than usual and it was more challenging to raise funds. Although this was the case, our team was on its toes ready to undertake any challenge on the way to make this event successful. This whole event as well as the organisation and planning was done virtually. Our team raised approximately 1,25,000 rupees which will be used to support cancer research in India.

Our student team consisted of 16 members and we all worked very hard to organize this event virtually. Several meetings were held in order to get fresh ideas to make sure the event was as exciting as it could be and would run smoothly and successfully. The student volunteers started putting this event together from August 18, 2020. Ideas and tasks were further developed and executed in the following month. As members of the team ourselves, it was truly an amazing experience to be able to take part and organise this event with the knowledge that it could change the lives of cancer patients all over India and across the globe. It was a challenge for us to take responsibility as the promotion team as it required us to inspire and encourage as many people as we could to take part and make a difference amidst this pandemic. Right from planning our first blog to collecting clips for the promotional video, it has been a great journey where we . We hope you felt inspired through this ‘marathon of hope’ which we hope will possibly lead you to help the advancement of cancer research and continue to take part in this event annually.

Each of us had a unique experience and Harjeev, who has been part of the team for the past two years has a story to share:

“This is the second time I’ve volunteered for the Terry Fox Run since I joined CIS. The first year I volunteered to organise fundraisers and T-shirt sales but this time I helped the core team find sponsors for the event and raise funds through a crowdfunding platform. The Terry Fox Run is a special event for me as it was the first event where I experienced the contribution of the community towards a better future. The Terry Fox Run run wasn’t just a CAS opportunity for me. It was an opportunity to learn, to make friends, to run, and to get inspired for Terry’s cause. This year because of Covid-19, we had to organise the run online and raise funds through crowdfunding rather than our usual in person efforts. Although it was a good learning experience, I would have preferred having the event in person. It did help me remember that Terry’s marathon is all about embracing the situation and to never stop running. Terry Fox’s story about his Marathon of Hope was a great lesson and the Terry Fox Run in school is a great opportunity for students to explore a new side of themselves, and it also acts as a great icebreaker for students. It is an experience that will stay with me forever. Hope you had a great run.”

As participants of this marathon ourselves, we’d like to appreciate all the support and commitment we received as we know how challenging completing a marathon alone can get. We want to extend our gratitude to all our participants without whom this event wouldn’t have been possible. As members of the TFR team, we’d like to thank everyone who joined us on this journey for making this event the success that it was.