Hundreds of San Diegans attend annual Celebration of Champions at the Embarcadero

There was a huge turnout for the 29th annual Celebration of Champions at the Embarcadero Marina Park North, right next to Seaport Village, on Saturday. People came out to run and show their support for cancer survivors, as well as families who have lost loved ones to the disease.

The event started with a memorial, where families proudly held pictures of their late loved ones who passed away from cancer. Over at the main stage, butterflies were released into the air, as a symbol of hope, love and light.

Among the crowd was Claire De Guzman and her family.

"It's nice to see people all kind of come together for something that's so important," said Rebecca Cramer, De Guzman's mother.

At the beginning of February this year, De Guzman was diagnosed with stage four rhabdomyosarcoma. The disease affects her skeletal muscles.

It's news that no parent wants to hear. De Guzman starts chemotherapy on Monday, and her parents are confident their little girl will push through.

"You will get through it, eventually. Like I said, it becomes routine, and then by the end of the routine, you're done and hopefully everyone gets there," Cramer said.

De Guzman has a story all her own, but her cancer diagnosis is something that she shares with many of the kids who attended the annual Celebration of Champions.

All Hallows Academy has been supporting the cause for more than two decades. Students came out to show their solidarity with cancer patients and are grateful they're able to help raise money for kids with cancer.

"It's been my third year here, so every year I do it, just like every year it feels so good to get these people what they need to survive," said one All Hallows Academy student.

Every year, the annual Celebration of Champions raises more than $600,000 for cancer treatment at Rady Children's Hospital. In the nearly 30 years the event has been happening, the celebration has raised more than $14 million.