New documentary 'Run Terry Run' brings 90 reels of archival footage to Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope

When Toronto filmmaker Sean Menard encountered a Terry Fox statue while travelling, he realized he didn't actually know Terry Fox — just the legend. He didn't know Fox's age, the details of his journey, or that the Marathon of Hope didn't cross the entire country. Unable to find a definitive film that satisfied his curiosity, Menard set out to make one.

His research led him to the Fox family, who had five digitized reels. The numbering suggested four were missing. What Menard found instead was a lot bigger: more than 90 archival reels housed in a storage facility just five streetlights from his Toronto home. One of the first reels he watched was silent footage of Fox running uphill for three uninterrupted minutes. "I get goosebumps even thinking about that," Menard said. "Seeing the effort it takes on every stride, and seeing the cars whip by him because, at that time, they didn't know who he was — in that moment, I knew that this was something special."

The resulting feature documentary, "Run Terry Run", uses the rediscovered footage and contemporary audio interviews to create an immersive return to 1980. Fox was 21 when he began the Marathon of Hope on April 12, 1980, in St. John's, Newfoundland. He ran more than 5,000 kilometres on a wooden walking prosthesis, running a marathon a day, before the return of cancer forced him to stop on September 1, 1980, near Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The film lays bare the realities Menard initially didn't know: rough running conditions, cramped van life, and a lack of early support. The Marathon of Hope was far from a well-financed, well-oiled operation. Early East Coast footage shows a shy 21-year-old Fox repeatedly having to explain what he was doing and why. His journey through Quebec is sobering. But when PR man Bill Vigars joined the group and launched a publicity plan, the vibe shifted dramatically. As Fox crossed into Ontario, he received a hero's welcome with local bands, crowds, and balloons — a stark contrast that shows the power of marketing.

When the Marathon ended, it had raised just over $24 million in donations. Fox's goal of $1 million was surpassed early. The Terry Fox Foundation has since raised $1 billion for cancer research.

Menard kept interview subjects off camera. Their voices — including Fox's brother Darrell, friend Doug Alward, and Toronto Star reporter Leslie Scrivener — accompany the archival material. Scrivener, who was assigned to follow Fox's journey as a young reporter, reads from Fox's journals in the film. "My hope is that it becomes personal," Menard said about his filmmaking approach. "What I was trying to do was create a time machine and give the experience of what it would be like if you were standing on the side of the road, and you got to see Terry run by you."

The film screens at the Vancouver International Film Festival on October 4, at 1:45 p.m. at the Vancouver Playhouse, and October 5, at 5:30 p.m. at International Village 9, before hitting theatres October 9. Proceeds go toward the Terry Fox Foundation and cancer research.