Going the extra mile

A local athlete will aim to raise awareness about a disease that “never sleeps” when he races in a 24-hour, 100-mile team relay this weekend — solo.

Dan Moy, owner of Beach Cities Auto Collision in Laguna Beach, who devoted 12 years of his youth to international adventure racing — including a 150-mile, marathon-a-day trek through the Sahara in which he carried all of his “backpacking” gear — will show his support for the American Cancer Society at the Relay for Life event from 9 a.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday at El Morro Elementary School.

Moy, who recently lost his soon-to-be father in law to cancer and whose fiancée, Angela, won her fight against breast cancer, said he felt inspired to support the event even though he hasn’t trained or taken part in a race in more than two years.

“I’m going into this unprepared, and it’ll no doubt be painful,” he said. “But, a cancer patient goes into their battle against cancer without warning, and the pain doesn’t stop. My lack of training, in a sense, is symbolic.”

The race, which requires each team to have a representative on the track at all times, will require Moy to endure the daylong stretch on his own, with his only support coming from the sidelines, as his friends and family cheer him on.

“I hope I can do it,” he said. “I’ll know by the first quarter or so if I’ll be able to make it.”

Relay for Life is a worldwide event that provides communities with a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones who have lost their struggle with cancer, and fight back against the disease when they join forces in walking and running in overnight events at local schools, parks or fairgrounds.

Proceeds from each event benefit the American Cancer Society, dedicated to finding cures and bettering the life of those battling with this vicious disease.

The tradition originated in 1985 with Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon in Tacoma, Wash., who came up with idea to run and walk around a track for 24 hours to raise money for the ACS. The event has since grown into the world’s largest movement to end cancer.

Each year, according to the ACS, more than 3.5 million people in 5,000 communities in the U.S. and 20 other countries, gather to raise money and awareness to save lives from cancer.

“A lot of times, we forget about the people who have beaten cancer,” Moy said. “What I love about this event so much is that it not only benefits the cure, but celebrates those who are celebrating getting their lives back.”

To make a donation and support Moy’s efforts, visit https://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=20432.