In the mid-1980s, Dr. Klatt expressed interest in helping raise funds for his local American Cancer Society. He decided he would raise money by doing something he enjoyed—running marathons. In May 1985, Dr. Klatt circled the track for a total of more than 83 miles at Baker Stadium at the
University of Puget Sound in Tacoma for 24 hours. Friends and family donated $25 to run or walk certain lengths with him. That year, he raised $27,000. While he ran, nearly 300 friends, family, and patients watched as he ran and walked the track. While he was running, Dr. Klatt began making plans on how the event could be even bigger in future years. Throughout the next year, he, along with an event committee, developed plans for the City of Destiny Classic 24-Hour Run Against Cancer. In 1986, 19 teams took part in the first team relay event and raised $33,000. Since then, Dr. Klatt’s idea has turned into more than 5,200 Relay For Life events across the United States that have raised nearly $5 billion. The American Cancer Society also licenses twenty non-governmental cancer organizations in other countries to hold Relay For Life events. == Cancer diagnosis ==