Moore County Relay for Life surpassed its goal.

“Our objective was to raise $200,000, and we are just beyond that,” Chairman Grant Roper said Sunday.

A final tally will be released this week, Roper said. Last year’s Relay for Life raised about $134,000.

Relay for Life is a 24-hour walk to benefit the American Cancer Society, which uses the money to fund cancer research and treatment. This year’s Moore County event was the seventh annual one.

Teams of eight to 12 people walked, ran, skated, or otherwise made their way around the track at Pinecrest High School’s John Williams Stadium — keeping one team member on the track at all times.

Almost 1,000 participants had taken financial pledges from acquaintances for their efforts.

Clark Cox, news editor of The Pilot and a cancer patient who has shared his experiences in a series of front-page “Cancer Chronicle” columns, served as honorary chairman of this year’s event.

“One out of every two men and one out of every three women will have cancer at some time in their lives,” he said during the opening ceremony. “And so the money that you and others donate today to Relay for Life may someday help to save your life.”

One group of Pinecrest students and relatives on hand to help called themselves “Charlie’s Angels” and wore tulle angel wings attached to their Relay for Life T-shirts.

By the marathon’s end at noon on Sunday, the participants shuffled home, lingering excitement carrying them the final distance.

“We had so much fun,” Charlotte Erbschloe said. “I rollerbladed around the track once, and it didn’t really work out.” She walked the remainder of her laps.

“Now I am going home,” she said, “and I am taking a shower and I am going to bed.”

Cool weather did not quell the excitement. “Had a blast,” said Erbschloe’s mother, Rachel. “We were cold.”

“My fingers were frozen,” Pinecrest High school senior Sarah Carrington said. Carrington was piano accompanist for three songs by Jill Dejak and Pat Felder during a Sunday sunrise service. The 2000 Relay for Life theme, “Angels Among Us” stressed the importance of support from friends and family when cancer strikes.

“A ton of effort by a lot of people goes into the event, and I feel the committee did a phenomenal job this year,” Roper said. “We had very few problems.”

Anita Alpenfels, public information director for Moore County Schools, sang the National Anthem to open the ceremonies on Saturday.

As cancer survivors lined up to walk the first lap, family members of Joan Miller, a local ACS volunteer and Relay for Life regular who died on Aug. 28, 1999, carried a banner with over 150 signatures of survivors. The first lap is called the Joan Miller Cancer Survivors’ Walk.

Michael Martin, chairman of the event for its first six years and this year’s master of ceremonies, read the survivors’ names as they strode around the track — including the name of 26-year survivor Peggy Viverette.

Some who walked the first lap were Linda Duncan, principal of MCSAT vocational school in Carthage; Bill Schmidt, a teacher at Pinecrest; businessman Felton Capel; Clerk of Court Katherine Graham; potter Phil Hewett; and attorney Sherwood Lapping.

The song “Angels Among Us” by Alabama played over the loudspeaker as the survivors, and then family and friends, joined to circle the quarter-mile track.

A chili cook-off began the day’s entertainment, which included musical, dance, gymnastics, cheerleading and baton-twirling groups.

The band Sketchbook performed its song “Make a Difference” Saturday night. Daniel G. Smith wrote the song in honor of Relay for Life. Hundreds of luminaria were place around the track and lighted to honor those who have cancer or have lost the battle with the disease.