Forty years ago, a 21-year-old Terry Fox wrote Adidas a letter asking for 26 pairs of running shoes. He told the brand he's an amputee in need of a footwear sponsor in order to help him achieve "a distant dream reserved for the world of miracles; to run across Canada to raise money for the fight against cancer." In support of his mission, the three-stripe company sent him 26 pairs of the Adidas Orion. The rest is history.
In celebration of the 40th anniversary Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope, Adidas is releasing a commemorative collection, with all net proceeds going to support cancer research. The brand will re-release the Orion that Fox wore on his epic cross-country journey, along with a special edition Ultraboost DNA and seven Terry Fox T-shirts.
Adidas hopes to raise $1 million for The Terry Fox Foundation via a series of drops over the next six months, each piece paying homage to the iconic Canadian. The first drop arrives May 20th, and will feature a T-shirt and revamped Orions with ‘Terry Fox’ printed on the side, a 40th anniversary sock liner, special commemorative shoelaces, and tissue paper printed with a copy of Terry’s original letter to the brand. Each shirt will feature an image of Terry or one of his famous quotes. Meanwhile, the special edition Ultraboost DNA, which will be released later this season, reimagines the shoe as something Terry would rock today.
The three stripes have also tapped notable Canadians like Darryl Sittler, Tessa Virtue, Connor McDavid, Ron MacLean, Ashley Lawrence, and P.K. Subban to share what Fox means to them using the hashtag #ThanksTerry.
The collection will be available exclusively in Canada at adidas.ca starting May 20th.
