The Prince George version of the annual Terry Fox Run drew a higher-than-expected 603 participants when it was held Sunday.
The total was well above the goal of 500 organizers had been aiming for and Scott McWalter, who was responsible for promoting the event this year and will become the lead organizer next year, attributed the turnout to a strong social media campaign, the ongoing inspiration Fox provides and the unseasonably warm weather.
"We were active both on Facebook and Twitter and we had constant updates, especially on our event page on Facebook," said McWalter, a student in the masters in business administration program at UNBC.
"We had people join in and share in the pictures and it was really a great way to get the message out for the event."
As of Monday morning, the amount of money raised was still being counted. Along with donations and pledges, there was a silent auction and one local woman, Mary Cartwright, baked a few hundred chocolate chip cookies that sold out.
It is held each year in memory of Terry Fox in memory of his heroic attempt to run across Canada in 1981 despite relying on a prosthetic leg due to bone cancer that required an amputation.
Over 143 days he covered 3,339 miles, doing about 26 miles a day, until he was forced to stop at Thunder Bay, Ont. because the cancer had spread to his lungs.
He was flown home to Coquitlam where he died on June 28, 1981 at age 22.
Participants in Prince George walked or ran a five-kilometre circuit that started and ended at a life-size statue of Fox at Community Foundation Park.
In all 40 volunteers helped put on the event.
"My hat is off to all of them for giving up their Sunday and coming out and putting in a good show," McWalter said.
