Runners, walkers, and families will be gathering along the Rideau Canal again this fall for one of the country’s most meaningful traditions. The Ottawa Terry Fox Run is quickly approaching, taking place Sunday, September 20, 2026, starting at Hog’s Back Park. Registration runs from 7 to 9 a.m., with the event itself running from 9 a.m. to noon along Colonel By Drive.
Participants can choose between a 2.5 km, 5 km, or 10 km route, and walking is just as welcome as running. There’s no registration fee — the event runs entirely on donations and fundraising, with all proceeds supporting cancer research. Just remember to bring your own water.
Why This Run Matters So Much in Ottawa
Ottawa’s connection to Terry Fox goes back all the way to the summer of 1980, when Terry himself ran through the city during his original Marathon of Hope.
After a difficult stretch through Quebec, where publicity had been thin and the young runner and his crew faced long stretches without much recognition, Terry arrived in Ottawa on June 28, 1980, to a very different welcome. He was greeted by cheering crowds, met Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and took the ceremonial opening kickoff at a CFL game between the Ottawa Rough Riders and Saskatchewan Roughriders, receiving a standing ovation from over 16,000 fans at Lansdowne Park. Ottawa running back Tony Gabriel even presented him with a football signed by the whole team.
That Ottawa stop marked a genuine turning point for the Marathon of Hope. What had been a quiet, often overlooked journey through the Maritimes and Quebec suddenly became a national story — donations and media attention poured in from that point forward, carrying Terry’s mission across the rest of Ontario before his run was cut short outside Thunder Bay that September.
Decades later, that history is part of why the Terry Fox Run continues to draw Ottawa families back to the Canal every fall — not just to support cancer research, but to retrace, in a small way, the same city streets that once turned a struggling cross-country run into a movement that’s raised hundreds of millions of dollars since.
And you can become part of it all if you have not already. Here is the important information:
Event Details
- When: Sunday, September 20, 2026, 9 a.m. – noon (registration 7–9 a.m.)
- Where: Hog’s Back Park, along Colonel By Drive
- Distances: 2.5 km, 5 km, or 10 km
- Cost: Free to register; donations support cancer research
- What to bring: Your own water
For official details and to register, visit run.terryfox.ca/129631. Be sure to check the organizer’s page for any last-minute updates before the event.
lead photo by Tim Chestnutt, The Terry Fox Foundation
