A girls' IB international school located on Jeju island, Branksome Hall Asia has annually attended the Terry Fox Run, alongside other schools in Canada, between October and November to support the fight against cancer, starting from 2019.

Branksome Hall Asia community is renowned for flexible student groupings, schedules, and parent enthusiasm for events that the faculty and Beta Kappa councils hold.

The Junior School, a group of students from Grade 1 to Grade 5, ran under a 45-minute time limit through a lap of four boarding homes.

Middle and Senior School, students from grades 6-12, underwent a 1.3-kilometer course running around Haedong apartment and the road of knowledge, within a 1-hour and 45-minute time limit, a long and difficult athletic course for those students more used to indoor activities.

The Terry Fox Run, also known as the Marathon of Hope, is a non-competitive charity event with significant importance within the community, and many people around the globe.

The most significant hotspot for the Terry Fox Run will be Canada.

Its existence commemorates the Canadian marathoner Terry Fox, who has been lionized with the marathon named after himself. 

Terrance Stanley Fox, aka Terry Fox, is a Canadian marathoner, humanitarian, cancer research supporter, and one of the most lionized beings in Canadian history.

After a cancer surgery that necessitated attaching a synthetic right leg, Terry Fox started running continent-crossing marathons. 

Unfortunately, a tumor that grew inside of his inner body functions caused by cancer has forced him to stop his runs for supporting cancer cure developments.

The distance Fox ran over 143 days with his vision for a straightforward cancer cure was 5,373 kilometers across the length of Canada.

The 5,373 kilometers that Fox ran spread the importance of cancer cures.

To commemorate the action that Fox presented throughout his marathon for 143 days, since 1981, more than 60 countries began the Terry Fox Run, with thousands attending the event. 

Even in 2023, the Terry Fox Run is the biggest annual event for cancer support, with 500 million Canadian dollars fundraised.  

To add on, Terry Fox's marathon is a one-of-a-kind non-competitive marathon. 

This marathon is the most illustrious 1-day charity activity worldwide.

In addition, from elementary to high school, academics remove corresponding lesson periods to attend this event.

In Branksome Hall Asia, the Terry Fox Run officially started on November 9th, 2019. 

In the Terry Fox Run for 2021 and 2022 in BHA, every member of the student-faculty and parents ran together.

The money fundraised through the Terry Fox Run for 2021 was approximately more than 2.5 million KRW. 

Despite all the problems such as schedule mix matches and COVID-19, BHA’s running routines and grouping balances are getting more creative every academic year. 

The marathon grouping and course selections in the BHA community’s Terry Fox Run are divided by grade levels or clans, all led by the Grade Level Coordinators, A to Z from the faculty and council, thanks to the Junior School, the Beta Kappa, and the athletics council.

The Terry Fox Run in the Branksome community is still ongoing for the year 2022~2023, with the 1.3-kilometer course for MS and SS students beginning on  November 21st, 2022. The calculation for the total donations is still in progress.

Tara (Seoyeun) Kim
Grade 8
Branksome Hall Asia