Firefighters taking big steps for charity
South Canterbury firefighters are preparing to step outside their comfort zone and tackle a gruelling challenge to raise funds for charity.
The annual Sky Tower Stair Challenge will test the endurance of firefighters around the country next month.
The event challenges firefight- ers to race up all 1103 steps of Auckland’s Sky Tower, while kitted out in 25kg of firefighting gear.
This year firefighters from Waimate, Geraldine, and Temuka will take up the challenge to raise funds for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand.
Waimate volunteer firefighters Tony Smith, Megan Holland, and Mark Joyce have formed a team and are well on their way to achieving their fundraising goals.
The trio have been training four times a week in preparation for the challenge.
They alternate between climbing up the edge of the Waimate Gorge and racing up the stairs at Fonterra’s Studholme dairy factory.
Joyce was preparing for his third trip to the Sky Tower.
Fundraising for charity was important to him, he said.
He was also aiming to improve on his time from last year, which was one minute better than the first time he attempted the challenge.
The Waimate trio were hoping to raise about $8000, and as of yesterday, were already more than a quarter of the way to that target.
They began training for the challenge about six months ahead of the big day, to ensure they were as fit as possible, Joyce said.
This will be the 12th year the Sky Tower Stair Challenge has taken place.
Fundraising totals for the event have increased every year since it began, with the 2015 event raising more than $1,036,000.
About 850 firefighters from around New Zealand, Australia and the United States take part in the challenge each year.
This year’s event will take place on May 28.