Seniors in Victoria, B.C. walk to honour Terry Fox

A group of seniors on Vancouver Islandis teaming up to stay active andhonourthe late Terry Fox.

Seniors at Revera Parkwood Place retirement home in Victoria, along with seniors at other Revera sites, originally planned to collectively walk 3,134 kilometres the distance between the Terry Fox monuments in Thunder Bay, Ont. andVictoria by Oct. 28.

The plan was part of an initiative to getRevera retirement home residents from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C.active and moving.

But Parkwood Place manager Cheryl Chalifour said the response in Victoriahas been so strong, she's confident that Parkwood Place residentswill reach thatgoal all on their own.

Chalifour says about 30 residents are taking part in the project, most of them in their 80s and some in their 90s. She's hopeful more residents will join in.

The walk is also meant to raise awareness for International Active Aging Week, runningfrom Oct. 3 to 9, which aims to highlight how seniors can benefit from physical activity.

Parkwood Place resident Chuck Naylor, 86, is eager to take part in the walks honouring Fox.

Naylorisan avid walker,taking9,000 to 10,000 steps a day. He says he doesn't have time to get bored during his walks because he's too busy meeting people.

One of his favourite routes isalong Victoria's Dallas Road to the cruise ship dock.

"We see all the cruise people getting off there's all kinds of people to meet from all over the world," he said. "So you just expand your humanness."

Naylor says he tries to use exercise equipment at Parkwood Place and takes the stairs rather than the elevator.

"But I have rheumatoid arthritis, so sometimes I chicken out," he saidwith a laugh.

Naylor says aging doesn't mean a life resigned to a couch.

"We may be old, but we're not decrepit," he said.

Terry Fox runs return to in-person events for 1st time since pandemic

2 years ago

Duration 2:01

Terry Fox runs have resumed all across the country this year after two years of virtual events due to the pandemic. Participants shared what it feels like to be with other runners in person again and why they do it year after year.