Rob Cox*

Rob, 55, is a 14-year survivor of a tumor found in his abdomen. He's been doing the full 24 hours as a "personal challenge" since the second year of his recovery. The Cox family originally is from the Aberdeen area, but Rob lost his job at Weyerhaeuser when the Cosmopolis Pulp Mill closed five years ago. He got transferred to Longview but recently has accepted a new job on the Harbor. "We've been to this relay year after year, even when we were living in Longview," Rob Cox said as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers boomed through the sound system with: "I Won't Back Down." Cox has been at every event since 1987. "Back then it was just a bunch of guys from the pulp mill who put a team together," he said. "Twenty-five years ago we actually ran the relay."

Mert Turner*

I began to walk in memory of my mom, who died of pancreatic cancer and my friend Mark. Mark was an awesome role model for dying - he took care of the loose ends in his family relationships, and all the details of his funeral / memorial service, including the making of a video to be shown and poem to be read. I hope to have such grace, dignity, care and compassion for others when my time comes. As I walk the 24 hours, many memories come and go of other people whose lives have touched mine. Some of them go around the track with me for a lap or two, in my heart or in my head. Their lives continue to speak to me and I hope to be an inspiration to others. A 24 walker friend once said that when someone has cancer and cancer treatment, the person feels very sick for more than a day and they don't have a choice, the least she can do is walk for them 24 hours. And I thought, "yeah, me too!"

Norm Adams*