They gathered into pods as they might at the school cafeteria. On one section of the Schreiber High School track, teens listened to rock music. On another, girls wore sweatshirts from Ivy league schools. The students were scattered all around but united in their goal: to stay up until dawn and walk as much as possible to raise money for cancer research.

On a damp, rainy night like Saturday's, it might not have sounded like a "cool" thing to do. But at schools throughout Long Island this month, hundreds are gathering for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life - an event that's not just a contribution toward a positive cause, but a night of bonding among friends, many participants said.

"It's fun," said a bleary-eyed Hayley Miller, 16, a junior at Schreiber, as she packed her tent yesterday morning. "It's different, too. It's not like a raffle ticket or a candy bar. You're physically doing something."

The Port Washington Relay for Life ended yesterday and drew about 700 volunteers, students among chaperones, cancer survivors and others committed to raising money to find a cure. Relays were also held at Peter A. Nelson Park in Huntington and Tanner Park in Copiague. They will continue throughout June everywhere from West Hempstead to the Hamptons.

Starting late Saturday afternoon the relay participants pitched tents on wet fields and unrolled sleeping bags. In advance they had organized into teams that raised money and tried to keep at least one person walking at all times, even in the thick of the rain.

"When you walk around the track and everybody is cheering for you, it's just an amazing feeling," said a teary Krakehl, 43, of Huntington, who battled ovarian cancer seven years ago. "Everybody really understands what this is all about and that's the most important thing."

Within each team, something of a portrait of those affected by the disease emerges, stretching across all ages, ethnicities and economic classes. Victoria Wingfield, 16, of Huntington, was there in part for her father, Paul, who at 44 was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Emma Puglisi, 15, was there for three of her four grandparents who died from cancer.

"I saw it and it was really sad," Puglisi, a Schreiber freshman said. "So if I can help anybody else not to go through that, it's a good thing."

Mixed in with the walking were things such as hula hoop contests, a scavenger hunt in the middle of the night and, in Port Washington, a "relay version" of the popular television show "Fear Factor."

"It doesn't sound that grotesque," said Ted Vlavianos, special events director for the cancer society. "[By] the look of it, they didn't know what they were doing."

By 4 a.m. the Red Bull and caffeine had worn off and things got quiet. They cramped into small tents and, if lucky, emerged with a couple of hours of sleep. "The first ten hours, it was fun," said Henry Bett, 15, a Schreiber freshman. "But then it was hard to get to sleep."

Their result: About $96,000 was raised in Port Washington. Figures for Huntington were not available, but more than $180,000 was raised last year.

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