While this year's Terry Fox Run was much different, there was a common theme that resonated with Terry's message: Nothing, not even a global pandemic, was going to stop people from getting out to support the 40th anniversary of Terry's run for cancer research.

Joan King, who organizes a Niagara-on-the-Lake run, was in Simcoe Park Sunday morning, and set up a display of photos from past runs, along with newspaper clippings from Terry's 1980 run, and photos of when he stopped in NOTL.

“I just wanted to keep the spirit alive,” said King.

The display of photos showed NOTL participants from 2007 to 2019.

“I wanted (people) to know that there were lots of people that have participated down in the park over all these years. So this was a meaningful anniversary. It's the 40th anniversary and I thought, what can we do to still keep his memory alive?”

She said since the first NOTL run in 1991, the town has raised $937,000.

“So this year, if we could raise at least $62,000, we'd make the million-dollar mark.”

So far the run has raised about $30,000, including online donations, but the final number is not yet known. NOTL resident Joe Pilltteri, who has traditionally been a major Terry Fox Run fundraiser, has yet to reveal what his Team Pillsy brought in.

Old Town resident Bill Munro joined the run with his family, incuding his wife, his son and daughter-in-law and his two grandchildren.

“It was great. It's a beautiful, beautiful day for it,” he said.

“My best friend, whose name was also Terry, passed away last year just after the Terry Fox Run, and so I dedicated my run last year to him because he passed away of cancer. And I dedicated it this year to him again.”

Ben Bartel, who is a fixture at the NOTL runs, said this year's run was “quiet.”

“I usually ride the bicycle and I go around twice,” he said, adding this year was the first time he's “won” the race.

“I was at the corner at 10 o'clock and the cenotaph bell started ringing, and I took off. And I was first — I won this year.”