More than 4,500 people joined the third Annual Guangzhou Terry Fox Run for Cancer Research in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, on Saturday.

The run, held in memory of the late Canadian Terry Fox who, despite losing a leg to cancer, ran across Canada to raise money for cancer research, is known as the Marathon of Hope.

The aim of the run was "to get people together towards a common goal and to raise money for local cancer research," said Tim Coughlin, consul general of the Canadian Consulate General in Guangzhou, one of the activity's organizers.

The money raised will be donated to Guangzhou Charity Hospital.

Runners included people from all over Guangdong as well as the world.

"It's a great memorial to Terry Fox who supported cancer research. We want to support that," said Janien Mainwaring, a Canadian living in Guangzhou, who was running along with her baby.

Mainwaring has joined Guangzhou's Terry Fox run for the last two years, as well as running in Terry Fox events in other countries.

Guo Jinghua, from Taiwan, who is a high school student at the Huamei-Bond International College in Guangzhou, said the run holds great significance to her and would leave good memories.

Yu Shuxia, who works for an insurance company in Guangzhou, came with her whole family to take part.

Huang Ziqiang, president of Guangdong People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, another of the groups helping organize the event, said the run shows that "it is a common goal of both Chinese and foreign people to conquer a common enemy cancer."

Last year's run in Guangzhou brought together about 4,000 people and helped raise 200,000 yuan (US$24,660).

More than 4,000 such runs have been held in 51 countries and regions since Terry Fox died in 1981.

China ranks the third in terms of the number of participants and sixth in the amount of money raised, according to the Canadian Consulate General in Guangzhou.

(China Daily November 28, 2005)