CREDIT: LONDON CAMERA CLUB
Theresa Carriere is the founder and executive director of ONERUN.

The annual 100km fundraiser is back for another lap.

Over 10 years since ONERUN founder and Fanshawe women’s basketball assistant coach, Theresa Carriere was diagnosed with breast cancer, her organization has raised millions of dollars in support of families affected by cancer, and reached over 10 million people worldwide. This year marks the second year in a row that the event will be remote due to COVID-19.

Once a year, ONERUN encourages participants to run 100km to raise money for families affected by cancer. Participants will start their journeys by running, walking, biking, or rollerblading on May 17, and conclude by June 18.


On June 19, ten Runners of Hope will run 10km of their own to close out the event. Carriere, who has run the 100km five times since ONERUN first began, said she would be passing her run on to the Runners of Hope.

This year also marks the second year in a row where ONERUN has been affected by COVID-19. Normally a large, in-person celebration has shifted to a virtual format where runners from across the globe are welcome to complete their runs in the time allotted and share their journey on social media.

“Last year was a huge success,” said Carriere. “Every year we want to get better. Last year we had 1,200 people participating, and we’re hoping for 1,500 this year.”

Many area high schools are involved with ONERUN, as well as Fanshawe College and Western University. Due to COVID-19, Carriere admitted that last year’s event did not engage students as much as it usually does. She said she’s thrilled to have their involvement back this year.

“We have a challenge between school versus school to see how many students can participate at each of those schools,” she said. The winning school will win a grand prize, courtesy of Oxford-Dodge. Additionally, participants can get involved with a four-week scavenger hunt to try and find ONERUN logos hidden around the city.

Although the run kicks off Monday, it’s not too late to get involved.

“We have some late joiners that join and work really hard to complete their 100km,” said Carriere.

After 10 years, Carriere noted how proud she was to see how far ONERUN has come. Since 2010, ONERUN has raised more than $1.4 million to support families living with cancer.

“COVID….provided us with the opportunity to test out virtual engagement and we had people participate from all over the world last year,” she said. “So in essence, COVID has allowed us to expand our reach adn to share the story of ONERUN to a lot of people out there.”

Funds from the event to go towards Childcan and Wellspring, two local organizations supporting families affected by cancer. Last year, the event raised over $150,000.

For more information visit ONERUN’s website.