Hello Pius – Adam Schlosser

Every year, St. Pius X High School students walk a four-kilometer loop to raise money and support for Terry Fox, the man who ran 5,373km on a prosthetic leg for cancer research. This year, in 2024, something different happened. While the tradition of walking continued, a new annual tradition was created by one of the teachers, Mr. Michael Robertson. This was dubbed: The Terry Fox Run.

The Run.

The running course stayed the same as the walking route, where runners started from the parking lot exit, onto Dynes, and North up Prince of Wales. On the next turn, they ran across the Heron Road bridge, down the flight of stairs, and across the Colonel By pathway towards Hog’s Back. Upon reaching the locks, runners went across the bridge, up the hill, and turned right down Prince of Wales once again. The last 400m was a mad dash across the road and back down Dynes, the final stretch, where the finish was the end of the first parking lot on the left side. 

The podium of this daunting dash was, in 3rd place, a tie between Mr. Robertson and Adam Schlosser with a time of 15:47; in 2nd place, Colin Phillips, with a 15:22; and in 1st with a whopping 15 minutes flat, Esrum Sahle. Although this race didn’t raise any money itself, it was an amazing start to a tradition that might.

Why we ran.

Among the 15 or so people who raced the 4 kilometers, there were many different reasons why people participated. Two runners were interviewed about their reasons for running: Mr. Robertson and Adam Schlosser.

Adam Schlosser is a grade 11 student of saint pius and also the tied 3rd place finisher in the race. This is his story.

“My name is Adam Schlosser and I am a grade 11 student of St Pius who participated in the Terry Fox Run. I ran to improve my fitness because I knew this run would be a great way to stay healthy and active during school time. I believe that with more time and planning, our school can turn this silly little race into an event that can raise money for cancer research on its own, while also keeping its identity as a fitness challenge.”

Michael Robertson is one of the teachers at St Pius X High School who is teaching Grade 9 and 10 math this semester. The race was his idea, and because of him, students of all ages got a chance to run for Terry Fox Day. While their reasons were interesting, his was unique. Upon asking him why he decided to make the event, he said this: “I like to promote doing the run because 1, I'm big on health and fitness/ like getting out and running, even if it’s not just running. And 2, we have everyone already doing the walking, so this is the next step.” Both of his grandparents passed away from cancer, as well as one of his good friends. Those people in his life are the reason he runs every year. He runs for them, though not only because it’s something he can do to raise awareness, but also because running is a big part of his life

The future of The Run.

Next year, Mr. Robertson plans to host this event again with hopes that the school can reward placements with Terry Bucks or an idea similar to help with fundraising and increasing donation morale. One of his ideas is to donate his money through the homeroom with the most runners next year. While not everyone in the school might want to run, it would be a secondary option for those interested in joining the Terry Day festivities without having to walk, as well as a way to help classroom donation tallies rise to give the winning homeroom a better reward, as Mr. Bourguinon did with his grade 11s this year. The future of the run Mr. Robertson aims towards is an event that brings about community and mutual respect and appreciation for Terry’s Marathon of Hope.