TORONTO -- A special release of limited-edition Adidas shoes themed for the 40th anniversary of Terry Fox鈥檚 Marathon of Hope sold out so fast that not even Terry Fox鈥檚 older brother was able to snag a pair.
Fred Fox told 麻豆影视 that he tried to buy a pair of the shoes when they went up for sale online Wednesday morning, but that he was too late.
鈥淧eople love Terry Fox,鈥� he said. 鈥淐anadians today 鈥� had an opportunity to get their version of that shoe.鈥�
The blue Orion sneakers were a re-release of the classic, three-stripe runner worn by Fox during his famous marathon journey, and were advertised at $130 a pair, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going towards the Terry Fox Foundation. Adidas Canada also created t-shirts for the anniversary.
Michael Rossi, President of Adidas Canada, told 麻豆影视 that the commemorative shoe, which had Terry Fox鈥檚 name printed next to the three stripes, 鈥渟old out in minutes.
鈥淔red wasn鈥檛 alone today in his experience,鈥� he quipped. 鈥淚t speaks to the connection that Canadians have with Terry Fox.鈥�
Adidas had to post an advisory asking customers to "stay tuned for a restock."
Fox began his run on April 12, 1980 in St. John's, Newfoundland and was forced to end it 143 days later in Northern Ontario after cancer spread to his lungs. Since his Marathon of Hope, annual Terry Fox runs held across the country have continued to raise money for cancer research.
Adidas has been involved in Terry Fox鈥檚 quest since the very beginning.
鈥淭erry wrote us a letter in 1979 asking for our support,鈥� Rossi said.
Before his marathon, Fox reached out to Adidas to ask for a sponsorship for his footwear. Specifically, he estimated he鈥檇 need 26 pairs of shoes.
The shoe that Adidas provided? The Orion running shoe.
Rossi said that the commemorative shoe that sold out today comes with a special detail in the packaging: the tissue paper in each shoe box was printed with a copy of Fox鈥檚 original letter to Adidas.
Fred Fox may not have gotten a pair in this re-release, but he鈥檚 鈥済lad so many people across Canada did.鈥�
He added that his brother would be 鈥渟o proud鈥� that the shoe he wore on his marathon is still 鈥渟o iconic鈥� today.
鈥淚t鈥檚 such an iconic shoe because Terry wore it,鈥� Rossi agreed.
With COVID-19 drawing a question mark around future events involving large numbers of people, it鈥檚 unclear if the Terry Fox Run will take the same form this year. But registration has opened so that organizations can register any events they want to hold in the fall, and begin to raise money.
Fred Fox said that the Terry Fox Foundation was 鈥渉oping to have ,鈥� and that registration for that event is open as well.
With files from the Canadian Press
