Lapping up all it had to offer for 16 hours in the name of charity.
Relay For Life amassed close to 1000 people with pep in their step and a few who chose to leg it round the track to raise funds for Cancer Society Nelson Tasman and the panacea of community spirit to honour cancer survivors, patients, and those who walk no more.
The fundraising spectacle was held at the Richmond A&P Showgrounds from 4pm on Saturday to 8am on Sunday.
It’s the only Relay For Life in Aotearoa that stays active from dusk till dawn, with a celebration lap led by cancer survivors, and those who’ve been a bedrock on their journeys officially opened proceedings.
As darkness settled, candle bags decorated by participants lined the track in tribute to those affected by cancer, offering quiet reflection and remembrance.
Seventy eclectic teams from across the region gave it 110 per cent even when fatigue was prevalent, and many supporters called in to cheer them on from the sidelines.
Among the teams was Nelson based Bennie and the Jets, representing Cancer Society Tuesday Morning Yoga, a group for people diagnosed with cancer, their whānau and carers to zen out and bond.
Team members Virginia Sullivan and Star Seaton have both had breast cancer but are still standing better than they ever did and want the disease to vanish like a candle in the wind.
“We all know people that have been touched, plus ourselves, dealing with cancer in our lives,” Star says.
“It's such a great event, and like [the speakers] were saying at [the opening ceremony], we want to see cancer go.”
She added that her team of seven Elton John fans knew the relay was going to be a long, long time so they sang the Rocketman’s tunes for motivation.
Also among the teams was Tasman Insurance Brokers whose chosen banana costumes were a split from spreadsheets.
“We have a banana palm in our office, and he gave birth to some baby bananas recently, hence bananas,” team captain Karen Botica explains.
“Why wouldn’t you take part? We love the event, love getting in behind the community, it’s a nice way to give back, and we've all personally got people who've been affected by cancer.”
One of its Relay For Life team members, Kurt Malham, has had gallbladder cancer treatment but says “I think I’d be foolish to say I’m cured”.
“My case is a bit different… they found a cancerous lump in there. So, I was supposed to do a bunch of chemo,” he says.
“I did one round of chemo, and it was decided that I couldn't carry on with it.
“I've had a couple of operations as well to take a big margin from around the gallbladder, which is done here in Nelson and Christchurch, so from there it's just been blood tests and yearly scans.”
Since his diagnosis, Kurt’s approach has been that “you’ve got to grab life by the horns and go with it”.
Minutes after the closing ceremony, an emotional Cancer Society Nelson Tasman general manager Venus Guy, who had been awake for 25 hours, said she and her staff and volunteers were “humbled” by the outcomes.
“The energy was high even though everyone was awake for quite some time,” she says.
“It significantly shows the strength and resilience of the community, and that coming together during tough times is very important because no one can fight cancer alone.
“I'm blown away with the positive feedback.”
By midday on Monday, more than $211,000 had been raised, with the target of $250,000 still within reach before the donation window closes on 31 March.
“I'm still very thankful to the community for the $200,000 plus that we have raised, that's a phenomenal amount of money,” Venus says.
“I'm hopeful we'll [achieve $250,000].”
Donations can be made at nelsontasman.relayforlife.org.nz.
