BY ANGELO BRUSCAS

The Daily World

For 24 hours, Rob and Claire Cox circled the Sea Breeze Oval at Hoquiam High School wearing reflective vests that read, "Like father, like daughter" on the back.

The father and daughter team not only made the full distance in the Grays Harbor Relay for Life to raise money and awareness in the fight against cancer, they did it while fighting through some of the warmest temperatures -- reaching the high 80s for the annual gathering. They also both are cancer survivors and full-fledged veterans in the 25th annual event to benefit the American Cancer Society.

"This is the ninth time that I've done it," said Claire, 21, who recently was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. "But I don't ever remember it being this hot."

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."

The Cox duo were members of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church team, which continued to hold the top spot for fundraising, bringing in a relay-high $64,367.

So far, the combined relays in Hoquiam and Elma at the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds have raised $436,809 with some fundraising continuing until August. The East Grays Harbor County relay raised $70,809 and the Hoquiam event raised $366,000, according to preliminary totals last night.

"Twenty five years and we're still rocking," proclaimed Karen Durham, the "voice" of the Hoquiam relay for the past 25 years and one of the leading organizers and recruiters for the event, which adopted a "still rocking" theme for the year.

Nearly 250 participants and 22 teams completed the journey at the East Grays Harbor relay at the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds in Elma, while more than 700 people on 71 teams wrapped up the relay at Hoquiam High School.

All of the money raised goes directly into cancer research and care.

"Through the funds that you raise at this Relay for Life, we are able to fight cancer through so many different ways -- by funding cancer research, by providing services to patients, by educating about cancer and the necessary screenings," said Carrie Glover of the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network. "And we fight back through advocacy."

Glover was visiting the Grays Harbor relays as the grassroots organizer for the state. Through funds raised at the relays, Glover said her agency has been able to acquire insurance to cover mammograms, colonoscopy exams and other important cancer screenings.

Rob Cox not only does the relay to help raise money for his team and the fight against cancer, he also does it for himself.

"I'm doing it to challenge myself," he said.

For daughter Claire, it's even more important this year, she said, noting her thyroid cancer was just diagnosed in November.

"Before this year, it was just something I could do to help raise money," she said. "This year I realize that the reason I am able to do this is because of this event."

Aberdeen High School senior Kimberly Wolf, 18, was another 24-hour walker who completed the full relay for the third time, this time to support her 1-year-old cousin Kyliann who was diagnosed with leukemia in April. While she is flat-footed and limped a bit toward the end, Wolfe danced backward through the final 50 yards on the last lap and seemed to suffer no ill effects from the long walk and the afternoon heat.

"This year has been the best," Wolfe said. "I have really good company and I'm better prepared. And I've been more involved as a team captain. At least 20 of my friends and family have supported me, and I've supported them. It's a really good environment."

In closing ceremonies, Durham gave a special nod to the approximately 20 people who lasted the full 24 hours on the track. Although fundraising totals were slightly lower than last year ($467,000 from the combined events at the same time in 2010), Durham said she was proud that Grays Harbor continues to give generously to the fight against cancer even in poor economic times.

"And they say we're a depressed area and yet we come together year after year," she said.

Among the awards given out at the Hoquiam relay, Bob Muhlhauser of Team Bob took top individual fund raising honors for personally brining in $16,539. Curves of Ocean Shores was the top online fundraiser with $4,400. After St. Andrew, the top team fundraisers were Curves of Ocean Shores ($13,443), Jenny's Joggers/Tom's Trotters ($14,836), Will Walk for Busz ($18,444) and Team Bob ($30,228).

At the East Grays Harbor relay, special recognition was given to first-grader Jamie Bednarik, who became one of only four people to earn distinction as a Grand Club member for raising more than $1,000. Jamie was the top individual fundraiser in Elma with $1,906. Other Grand Club members were Stephanie Parsons, Ben Ator and Sandy Casberg.

The top teams in East Grays Harbor were Garden Gremlins ($3,879), Grays Harbor Community Hospital East ($5,418), Vaughan Scumbusters ($7,615), Satsop School Erasers ($7,693) and the Fired Up Checkers ($8,954).

Angelo Bruscas, a Daily World writer, can be reached at (360) 537-3916 or by e-mail at abruscas@thedailyworld.com