Yellowknife (Sep 05/03) - During his Marathon of Hope, Terry Fox ran through small town Pointe Au Baril, Ont. a memory Rob McPhee will never forget.

"He saw cancer as an opportunity to do something," said McPhee. "That is very heroic."

McPhee, a resident of Yellowknife for seven years, and independent business owner of McPhee Enterprises, has been the volunteer coordinator of the Terry Fox Run for the last two years, and this year is no different.

McPhee sees the run not only as a fun event to take part in, but also as an opportunity for people to help the cause.

"So many peoples lives have been touched by cancer," said McPhee. "Participation is important."

Two years ago, the Yellowknife run raised just 20,000. Last year they raised just over $30,000.

"Weather has a big impact on the run," explained McPhee. "But we have still had great turn out in the past."

McPhee explained that his success with the run can be attributed to the great team of volunteers who come together each year to help organize the event.

"We worked on bringing people in to work in different areas," said McPhee, adding these positions involve setting up the site of the run, corporate recruiting and registration.

"There are some very great people involved," he said. "We all want to do a little bit to help."

McPhee expressed that the important point to make is that the event is called a "run" rather than a "race." It caters to people of all ages, and options exist for participants whether they want to run, walk, roller blade or bike. The event is not timed and not based on competition.

A free barbecue is also provided at the site of the run, with food and beverages supplied by a variety of businesses in Yellowknife.