HALIFAX - A steady downpour in the Halifax-area on Saturday washed away an attempt by a group of recreational soccer players to set a world record for the longest game ever played.

Organizer and player Scott Lytle said the rain simply made pitch conditions too dangerous to continue after about 17 hours of play.

The Guinness World Record of 42 hours, five minutes and one second was established in Qatar earlier this year.

Lytle said the current world record was set in an indoor facility.

"Being intrepid Nova Scotians we knew that we could try to deal with just about anything that came our way," said Lytle. "But it became a safety issue."

Lytle said cramping became a problem for many of the 36 players about three hours after the contest kicked off just after 7 p.m. Friday.

He said as the rain moved in and became heavier early Saturday, injuries started to mount.

Lytle said five of the 36 players suffered various knee and ankle ailments in the waterlogged conditions. It was also becoming more difficult to play as layers of clothing became weighted down with the constant soaking.

"You could just see that the morale was dropping," he said.

Officials blew the final whistle on the game, which was being played to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research, at around 12:15 p.m.

Although final figures haven't been tallied yet, Lytle said it appeared the fundraiser for the Atlantic chapter of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation exceeded its $20,000 goal.

"It really wasn't that we had to break this world record. We wanted to but . . . we've raised our money so we're happy in that regard."

The game was inspired by Cara Sankey, a Fall River N.S., woman whose husband Simon is a well-known coach in the local soccer community. Sankey is currently undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of breast cancer.

The 31-year-old was diagnosed two weeks after learning she was pregnant with her son Milo, who is now eight weeks old.

Sankey was on hand for the kickoff and returned briefly on Saturday to lend support, although she said it was apparent the weather was getting the upper hand.

"I saw a lot of guys out there limping," she said. "They were all still working at it but it was cold and very wet."

She said the effort was the main thing.

"Regardless, they've achieved what they set out to really and that is raise money and awareness."

Lytle said the group hasn't given up on the idea of eventually setting a record sometime in the future.

"It's unfortunate that we didn't get it, but there's always next year," he said.