Terry Fox Runs taking place in Langley City, Walnut Grove, and Aldergrove on Sunday

This Sunday’s Terry Fox Run in Langley City is serving up a new feature for participants in the annual fundraiser for cancer research.

A few thousand dollars worth of merchandise has been donated by local merchants and will be up for auction on the day of the event.

Most of the items have a retail value of $100 and include art work, gift certificates, and more.

On a national level, this year marks the 34th annual Terry Fox Run. It’s also the fifth year since the event returned to Langley City in 2010 and a return of the event to Aldergrove.

“It’s a no entry fee, volunteer-driven event and of course it’s to raise funds for the Terry Fox Foundation, to celebrate a real Canadian hero, Terry Fox, and to raise awareness,” said Liliane Fuller, who is the co-organizer of the Langley City Run, along with Rick Barnett.

The event will take place in Douglas Park in Langley City and is the largest of the three events taking place in the community.

Other Terry Fox Runs take place in Walnut Grove and this year Aldergrove, which is welcoming back the event to that community.

Langley City and Aldergrove start at 10 a.m. while Walnut Grove's event has an 8:45 a.m. warm up and a 9 a.m. start (the incorrect time was published in the print edition. Sorry for any inconvenience.).

After this year, Fuller will be stepping away as chair and handing the torch to Barnett.

“This will be my fifth year being involved, and I felt it was time that I passed the reins to someone else,” Fuller said. “Rick is taking over for 2015. I will still be in the community and I’ll still be involved in the Terry Fox Run, just not as the chair.”

On hand at the Langley City run will be the Lounge Brothers providing stage entertainment.

Langley City firefighters will be grilling donated hot dogs and hamburgers.

Fuller hopes this Sunday’s fundraiser will mirror the success of the 2013 run in Langley City.

“Last year went very, very well,” Fuller said. “We had lots of volunteers and lots of fun. It was a great event. The weather was a little cooler than we would have liked, but lots of people came out.”

Sunday’s run, starting at the Douglas Park band shell, looks promising.

Fuller said organizers were “a little concerned” because the Terry Fox Run arrives on the heels of the  BC Seniors Games, which wraps up Sunday and also requires a small army of helpers to make the event a success.

“But the volunteers we contacted from the past three or four years said they’d be back,” Fuller said.

A face painter and a clown making balloon animals will at Douglas Park as well as a local groomer doing puppy pedicures for a small donation.

One, five, and 10-kilometre routes are suitable for those who want to walk, ride, or scooter along the roads.

Terry Fox Runs have raised over $800 million for cancer research since 1980. Eighty-four cents of each dollar raised goes to cancer research.

“Join us on Sunday, Sept. 14 to honour a great Canadian hero, get some exercise and raise some money to combat this horrible disease,” Fuller said.

The Walnut Grove Terry Fox Run starts at the Walnut Grove Community Centre and has both a five and 10-kilometre route. Participants using bikes, wheelchairs, strollers, and with dogs on leashes are welcome to take part with things kicking off from the community centre’s front parking lot.

The Aldergrove event features two different five-kilometre routes also suitable for bikes, wheelchairs, strollers and dogs on leashes.

The Terry Fox Run is a non-competitive, no entry fee event but donations are welcome.

For kids waiting to participate in the annual national school day run, the date set for run day is September 24, but teacher job action will determine if the event proceeds or not.