CHENANGO COUNTY – More than 700 participants signed up to be part of this year’s Chenango County Relay for Life, and when the final tally came in on Saturday morning, the event had successfully raised $133,230.

The 13th Annual Chenango County Relay for Life was held Friday and Saturday. The event, which serves as a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society, has garnered over $1 million for cancer research and programs in Chenango County alone.

This year’s fund raising goal was $140,000, and although the total raised is a little short of that amount, event co-chair Marie DeSarro explained that donations are accepted through Aug. 31. Already, the event has surpassed last year’s total by more than $5,000.

DeSarro explained that despite the difficult economy, teams seemed to be raising more money this year than in the past. “We had two different teams raise over $10,000 by the end,” said DeSarro. “We’ve never had that before.” In addition, she said, there were countless teams that surpassed the $5,000 mark. The top three teams this year were the Sherburne-Earlville Mad Hatters, Rays of Hope and BOCES Class Act.

DeSarro said all of the top teams this year had higher totals than in the past. “We’ve never had as many teams with high totals,” she said. In addition, DeSarro said this year’s Relay seemed more lively than in the past. “It seemed like there were more teams dedicated to keeping members on the track at all times,” DeSarro said.