Marathon effort aids cancer sufferers

Tamlyn Stewart | 16th March 2010

Rotorua's Sarah Rowe went all out to support the 2010 Relay for Life - even becoming a Mad Hatter for a lap of the stadium.

She was one of more than 800 Rotorua people who took part over the weekend at the International Stadium, raising about $100,000 for the Cancer Society.

Miss Rowe won first prize in the Mad Hatter best hat competition, held during the relay, for her enormous daffodil hat of bright yellow cardboard and wire that took a team of 4-year-olds two days to make.

Miss Rowe, head teacher at Earlybirds Educare in Rotorua, said she and her team had decided to take part in the event because many members of the team knew someone who was living with cancer or wanted to do it in memory of those who had passed away.

"I've got two friends who have just finished chemotherapy for breast cancer and one going through chemotherapy now for cervical cancer.

"It has been hard to see them go through that. It brings it home and makes it part of your life as well.

"It's also in memory of all the people who have passed away from cancer, like my grandmother and my aunty," she said.

The team raised more than $3500 for the Cancer Society by taking part in the 22-hour walking or running relay event.

 The International stadium was filled with the brightly-coloured decorated tents of more than 50 teams and about 700 brightly-coloured participants jogging or walking around the track in outfits ranging from purple butterflies to angels, vampires, pirates and superheroes.

Event organiser Kiri Thomas said she was blown away by the money counted so far, with some teams yet to bank their final takings.

 The outcome was beyond expectations, Ms Thomas said.

The tally so far was about $66,000 with another $33,000 raised from selling Cancer Society products.

"It was just fantastic," she said. "It's been amazing."