The first sunny Terry Fox Run in 15 years brought in more runners -- and likely more money -- as thousands ran across the province on Sunday morning.
While organizers were still getting numbers in at mid-day, anecdotal reports suggested runner turnout was higher in a big effort to raise money for cancer in the name of one of Canada's best-known heroes.
"We were thrilled with the turnout," said the run's provincial director, Donna White. "Everybody that has called in so far has seen an increase in the participants."
Last year, the run raised $650,000 in B.C. to fight cancer treatment. About $108,000 of that was raised in the Vancouver run that started at Stanley Park, one of 116 runs taking place today.
Participants began at 2nd Beach in Stanley Park for a 10 km run or a three km walk.
One runner, Byron Aceman, said he was running for someone in his family who was battling breast cancer.
But he had also faced male breast cancer six years ago.
"I'm running for me," he said. "It really means a lot to me, it gives me hope."
Aceman said he was a long-distance runner when Terry Fox began his run across the country in 1980.
Fox, who grew up in Port Coquitlam, B.C., lost his leg to cancer, but began the run anyway with a prosthesis for a leg. He called the journey the Marathon of Hope.
After 143 days of running, and after a distance of 5,373 km, Fox had to stop running -- the cancer had entered his lungs. He died the next year at the age of 22.
"I was touched by what he was doing. I could relate to the difficulty he was having," recalled Aceman.
"When I first got my cancer, that was one of the things I thought about. I decided when I got my first cancer I would be as positive as possible. The Terry Fox Run is full of positive people," he said.
Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan said in Beijing, he spoke to a group of disabled people and told them about the inspiration of Terry Fox.
