Participants in the 10th Annual Terry Fox Run will not run out of hope.

Instead, they will run — out of hope that their efforts will play a part in discovering a cure for cancer.

Named for the young Canadian athlete with bone cancer who ran halfway across Canada to raise money for cancer research, the local Terry Fox Run has raised $23,000 for cancer research since its inception in 1982.

“Terry Fox really did a monumental thing. Without runs like this, it wouldn’t take much for everyone to forget who Terry was. Sponsoring the race each year is a way of reminding them,” says Ronald C. Verow, a partner in Village Subaru with John E. “Jack” Quirk Sr. and his sons John (“Jack Jr.”), Robert, James, Thomas and David Quirk.

First organized by journalist and runner Ed Rice (a member of the Sub-5 Track Club) and generously sponsored by Village Subaru, the race has a reputation as a friendly, family-oriented event.

“The Terry Fox Run has been one of our favorite charities. It is one that we can share with the community. We encourage people to come out with their families, even if they’re not running,” says Jack Quirk Sr., president of Village Subaru.

Quirk acknowledged the efforts of the Sub-Five Track Club, which has organized and operated the event since 1986.

“Certainly the Quirk family appreciates their efforts and so should the community. Without them, obviously we couldn’t do that race. It is one of the largest races in the state thanks to their efforts and hard work every year,” says Jack Quirk Sr.

From its very beginning, the race has attracted a large number of runners — more than 400 each year — from all over the state. It is viewed by road racers as one of the top races in New England. Both serious athletes and casual participants are invited to take part in the fund-raising event that will benefit Jackson Lab again this year.

Highlights of previous years include the attendance of well-known people as honorary race chairmen or special guests, along with poignant examples of individuals who sacrificed to take part in the races.

“Without all the people that have come every year, there is no way it would have the impact it does. What has happened is that people from all walks of life from all over the state have come and made this race an important part of their yearly activities,” says race founder Ed Rice by telephone from his office at Doane College in Crete, Neb., where he teaches journalism.

“Year after year, we’ve just seen an increasing variety of people coming who are either touched by the Terry Fox story or by cancer in their own lives,” says Rice.

Well-known honorary chairpersons or special guests at the race have included noted Bangor author Stephen King; Terry Fox’s publicist, Bob Vigars (1984); Boston and New York Marathon winner Bill Rodgers (1986); Mrs. Betty Fox, Terry’s mother (1987); and world-class Maine runners Bruce Bickford and Joan Benoit Samuelson (1988 and 1989 respectively). Last year, several members of the University of Maine hockey team were special guests at the race.

To date, the Marathon of Hope begun by young Terry Fox has raised $40 million in Canada, many times more than Fox’s original goal of $1 million.

The articles appearing in this special section were written by Jennie Borodko Stack, NEWS advertising staff writer.