More than $200,000 raised in Relay for Life

Newport Beach’s Relay for Life event last weekend proved a resounding success, with more than 1,200 participants raising more than $200,000 for cancer research and survivors, event organizers said.

Nearly 60 teams completed the 24-hour rotation in honor of cancer survivors. The Relay for Life event at Newport Harbor High School brought people together to raise money in the fight against cancer. The teams took shifts walking the high school track for 24 hours straight.

The organization’s initial goal was $175,000, but that was soon upped to $200,000 when their expectations were surpassed early into the event. The 24-hour event symbolizes the struggle cancer survivors must go through every day, organizers said.

A similar event took place in Costa Mesa the same weekend. Newport Beach’s walk raised about $226,000, said Krisztina Scheeff, event chairwoman.

— Joseph Serna