When the mass of purple-shirted cancer survivors made that initial lap around Auburn Memorial Stadium track Friday night, kicking off the 2009 American Cancer Society Auburn Relay for Life, Dick Richards was grateful to be among them.

Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003, Richards endured surgery and radiation – and lived to tell the tale.

“I have my PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) numbers checked periodically, and right now it’s at zero, so it couldn’t be any better,” Richards said with a grin. “I really am a survivor at this point.”

In fact, this spry 84-year-old survivor is thriving, having hiked five miles that same day and planning to put in 40 laps, an additional 10 miles, before the Relay was over. He has hiked with the Auburn Senior Activity Center since 1999.

Richards was part of a team the senior center fielded to support Judy McCarty, a fellow hiker and member of the center’s Wellness Committee. McCarty was recently diagnosed with mesothelioma, or asbestos cancer of the lungs.

The Auburn Relay for Life fundraiser invites teams of people to camp out on the field and take turns walking or running the track all night and into the next morning, fighting the good fight and raising awareness about cancer prevention and treatment.

More than 1,200 people and 62 teams took part in the annual event. As of closing ceremonies Saturday morning, the Auburn Relay had raised $131,000 for cancer research.

Event co-chair J.D. Drollinger called it a rip-roaring success.

“We’re ecstatic,” said Drollinger. “The numbers are there, and they are really good numbers, but there was so much more that happened this weekend that can’t be measured. We reached a lot more survivors, got the message out to a lot more people. The big thing that pleased me is that at 10:30 a.m Saturday, the place was still full. Across the field, many tents were standing, and people were still walking. Usually at that hour, we’re closing down to the last faithful 50.”

During the luminaria ceremony, when people light bags bearing the names of loved ones affected by cancer, people stood shoulder to shoulder around the track two to three rows deep, Drollinger said.

“To look down from the stands at all those people warms the cockles of your heart,” Drollinger said.

“What’s great is to see the enthusiasm of all these young people,” Richards said, with a nod toward the track. “Of course, that might be about getting out and being out here with friends and being up all night, but a lot of them are very serious about this. We got a lot of high-fives as we walked the Survivors’ lap.”