For the Reporter
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Washington/Alaska Chapter (LLS) today announced a record-breaking $3.2 million was raised in the fight against blood cancers, through the collective efforts of The Big Climb and Scott Firefighter Stairclimb in March.
With a combined total of 7,500 participants, the events raised money to advance the LLS mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
The 22nd annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb on March 10 raised $1.44 million and featured 1,550 firefighters from nearly 300 departments representing 21 states and five countries, including Canada, Germany, Switzerland and New Zealand. The top fundraising team was the Boise Fire Department, with $44,900.11 raised.
Considered one of the world’s most physically challenging competitions, participants dressed in 50 pounds of “bunker gear” including helmet, fireproof coat and pants, and air tanks to climb the Columbia Tower’s 69 flights of stairs.
The top male finisher was Andrew Drobeck, 31, Missoula (Mont.) City Fire, who finished in 10 minutes, 48 seconds. The top female finisher was Georgia Sanz Daniels, 44, Graham Fire and Rescue, who finished in 14 minutes and 22 seconds.
The Big Climb on March 24 raised $1.76 million and featured 700 teams representing 6,000 climbers from around the greater Seattle area and beyond. The top fundraising team was Seattle Country Day School’s Wildcat Climbers, who raised a record-breaking $79,936.42. The top individual fundraiser was Mark Taylor, from the same team, who raised $23,300.
The fastest male climber, 40-year old Jesse Berg, completed in 7 minutes, 29 seconds. The fastest female climber, 29-year old Kristin Frey, completed in 9 minutes, 16 seconds.
Save the dates
The 23rd annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb is Sunday, March 9. The event will expand with an additional 300 participants, 1,800 total, with registration open on Nov. 14.
The Big Climb is Sunday, March 23, with registration open on Nov. 1 at 9 a.m.
LINK:
