After 24 hours of fighting the elements, fatigue and pain, the Knoxville Cancer Relay team finished this year’s event with their customary trip into Ken Locke Field.

A cheering crowd greeted the runners as they took a final victory lap around the field, and then delivered the game ball for Knoxville High’s contest against Oskaloosa.

This year’s event was more of a struggle than usual; cold weather and conflicts with other sports held down the crowd for the kick-off event on Thursday night, the kickoff party and start ceremony were each curtailed, and there weren’t as many participants as usual during some stretches.

But runner Jason Masdam tells KNIA/KRLS News in spite of the hardships, the relay was still a success.

“It went well; the weather didn’t cooperate very well with us today, with snow actually at one point. But overall it went well; all the runners did great. We had some folks that were injured, and they still toughed it out and went and walked,” Masdam says.

Official figures have not been calculated, but the runners are estimated to have covered a cumulative 850 miles…and Masdam says they raised well over $10,000.