You probably know the legend of Terry Fox, the young cancer survivor who attempted to run coast-to-coast across Canada during 1980 - despite having lost a leg to the disease.

Adidas has launched a replica of the old-school (and orthopedically crippling) running shoe Terry used during his run, with the cooperation of the Terry Fox Foundation. 6500 pairs are available, at $100 a pop.

Interestingly, the Foundation has taken steps to emphasize that the no profits would be made from the sale of the shoe, and that a detailed statement would be produced to account for each shoe. (see news release here)

In fact, there is a long-standing relationship between Adidas and the Fox family:

“They were there when others were not providing moral support as Terry logged over 5,000 kilometres,” [Darrell] Fox said before giving his brother’s shoe to Adidas as a token of appreciation.” (CP)

This is the twenty-fifth anniversary of Terry’s run, and Adidas, while clearly marketing their brand, is carefully building upon their long-standing relationship with the Fox family - one based on shared goals and a sense of community.

If Terry Fox were attempting his run today, what sort of swag would sponsoring companies make him wear? Headbands during photo ops? Removable logo tattoos?