The Relay for Life idea began with one person wanting to fight cancer. In 1985 Dr. Gordy Klatt decided to run and walk around a track for 24 hours as an effort to raise money for the American Cancer Society. His idea has caught on big time and now more than 3.5 million people take part in the annual Relay for Life in over 5,000 towns and cities in the United States as well as in 20 other countries around the globe. To quote the Relay for Life site, it's a "global phenomenon" and it raises much needed funds as well as a national awareness for cancer and the research into a cure. During this first year Dr. Klatt ran over 83 miles at the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington. As Dr. Klatt walked and ran his laps family and friends participated by donating $25 to walk and run with him for half an hour. This initial effort by Dr. Klatt produced $27,000 of funds that were put to cancer research to fight this disease. Every Relay For Life has many similarities although