Relay hits 25

By JOHN McCALLUM
Editor
Twenty-five years ago, Tacoma colorectal surgeon Dr. Gordy Klatt chalked up 83 miles in a 24-hour walk/run around a nearby track. All Klatt wanted to do was raise money for the local American Cancer Society, which he did to the tune of $27,000.
What began as 83 miles has since spread to thousands of communities around the country and become known as the Relay for Life. Cheney抯 Relay for Life celebrates its own milestone as for the eighth year in a row, community members will team up to walk or run for 16 hours straight at Eastern Washington University抯 Woodward Field. Not only will they be raising money to fight cancer, but also celebrating those who have battled the disease and won, and honor the memory of those who fought and lost.


Cheney抯 relay takes place May 15-16, beginning at 6 p.m. Friday and concluding at 9 a.m. Saturday morning. The goal of the relay is simple � raise $80,000 to help provide funding for cancer research and education.


Last year抯 relay raised between $70,000 and $75,000, 2009 relay publicity and marketing chair Rachelle Malat said. The goal is accomplished through teams of 9-15 people, with at least one person from the team walking or running on the track at all times throughout the night.


Malat said there are between 25-30 teams from the Cheney and EWU communities registered already, and while it抯 getting late, there is still time for more to sign up and walk a few miles for the cure.


But there抯 more to any Relay for Life than just circling a track. Throughout the evening and into the morning, teams engage in games and competitions with each other as well as individual events. One of the most popular of these in the past few years has been the Mr. Relay competition.


Mr. Relay involves 10 men who dress up like women, give themselves new names, and compete to see who can win various contests while at the same time getting the most in donations from the crowd. It抯 sort of a drag-style Miss America contest.


揑t抯 very interesting to watch,� Malat said. 揗y roommate did it last year, and boy I never want to see him dressed like that again.�


There are also theme competitions, with teams dressing up themselves and their tent sites according to a particular scheme. This year, the theme is 揋o for the Gold.�


Two of the highlights of the relay revolve around honoring. The Survivor抯 Lap kicks off the relay as cancer survivors and their caregivers circle the track once to acknowledge their achievement.


The lap begins at 6:20 p.m., but those wishing to participate are asked to arrive at 5:30 p.m. for some pre-lap activities. Survivors and caregivers receive a T-shirt and a pin, and a bucket of paint to apply their signature and handprint on a 搒urvivor handprint sheet.� Afterwards, they will be honored with a dinner, donated by a local business.


Survivors and caregivers are asked to register two weeks in advance if possible, to help with obtaining a count for the shirts, pins and dinner. Survivor lap information and registration can be obtained by calling Bonnie Alvy at 559-5986.


Finally, a luminary ceremony honoring those who have survived cancer and those who have not is held at 10 p.m. People can pick up luminary sacks that can be decorated and placed around the track. At 10 p.m., the Woodward lights are turned off and the luminary candles are lit to honor all those who are battling, or have battled cancer.


Finally, five quilts will be raffled off to help in the fight against cancer. Raffle tickets are $2, with the quilts available for viewing at Cheney-area businesses.
For more information on how to participate in the relay, contact relay chair Carol Golden at cygolden@aol.com or CallyAnn McKinney at CallyAnn.mckinney@AMX.com.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com