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HOUGHTON -- Thirty teams, about 150 survivors and one common goal:  beating cancer.

Relay For Life participants are stationed at Houghton High School football field for 24 hours where they'll walk all day to support cancer research.

"You get into your normal life and your normal routine, and you think about things, and then you come to something like this, and it really kind of humbles you and puts you back to that place where you were when you dealt with it long ago. And you get to see people that are currently dealing with it. It just kind of gives you a piece of humble pie," said cancer survivor Thomas Snow.

So far, the Copper Country Relay has raised $70,000, and they have a goal of $100,000 with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

"Cancer deaths are declining each and every year because of events like Relay For Life, but we're not there yet, which is why we need to keep on relaying, keep on continuing the fight to fight cancer. Hopefully one day there won't be a relay because there will be a cure, but we're not there yet, so everybody comes out. This is a celebration of life," said American Cancer Society member Carl Fulsher.

Throughout the day, people lit "luminarias" for loved ones who lost their battle with the disease. And those lights will line the track for the night time walkers.

Each year, survivors make their mark by imprinting their hands, symbolizing that they have beat the disease. In years past, there's been almost 150 survivors at the relay.

"It's on a global level really. It's not just national and local; it hits all across the whole world...people dealing with this same issue and trying to figure out how we're going to cure it," Snow added.