Sunday morning's sunshine paled in comparison to the spirit of the participants in the 2014 Relay for Life after hearing they were well on their way to another record-breaking year.
By the time the 24-hour event wrapped up May 10, the 22nd annual Prince George relay had raised $520,000.
And with donations still accepted until August, that number is only going to grow. Last year, by the relay's end, $500,000 was raised. By the time total figures were calculated later in the summer nearly $550,000 was brought in.
"What a sense of community," said Helen Owen, the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life team leader. "I continue to be blown away."
As an extra incentive, Owen has pledged to shave her head if the community breaches $600,000 in donations.
"We can still make her bald," relay leadership committee co-chair Davy Greenlees urged those gathered at Masich Place Stadium for the event's closing ceremonies Sunday morning.
"Bring it on," Owen encouraged.
Northland Dodge's Brent Marshall, who donated a 2014 Jeep Cherokee to be won by a participant that raised more than $500, said he would also do his part to top up the funds to reach that goal.
"My goal is to make Prince George the most charitable community in Canada," he said.
The 2014 relay - the only one in the country to go for 24 hours - saw 147 teams and more than 1,450 participants make laps around the Masich Place track over the weekend.
While the majority of those taking part did shorter stints, more than a dozen people in green bibs walked continuously for the entire day.
As part of Integris Credit Union's team Moola for a Cure, Cheti Sarrazin said she felt that enduring 24 hours on her feet was the least she could do when she's had friends and family members affected by cancer fighting every day for their own lives.
This was Sarrazin's third year participating in the Relay for Life.
"I started off for the cause, and the experience brought me back," she said, having clocked about 17 hours on the track during last year's event.
Sarrazin drew energy and inspiration from fellow team members and participants, like Jeff Taylor, who - along with son Nick Taylor - walked the 24-hour route in memory of his late wife Allyson. After spending 32 years together, Allyson succumbed to leukemia in September 2012.
Tired and sore, Jeff and Nick thought nothing of themselves after witnessing what their wife and mother, respectively, endured.
"We can take the pain for a day," said Nick.
The Taylors were walking as part of the team put together by Peterbilt Pacific where Allyson worked for 27 years.
Among the tricky parts of the 24-hour jaunt was the early morning hours when the wind picked and the air cooled off, said Jesse Stookesberry, walking for his first year. But it helped that everyone seemed to be in the same boat.
"We were all shambling zombies," agreed Nick.
