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Seven crew from the Mangawhai Volunteer Fire Brigade (MVFB) will join a thousand firefighters for the annual Firefighter Sky Tower Stair Challenge on May 24.
The event is a fundraiser for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand (LBC) and involves a race to the top of the 51-storey building, the second tallest in the Southern Hemisphere.
This will involve scaling 1103 steps carrying 25 kilograms of firefighting gear.
So far, the Mangawhai crew has raised over $4000 for the worthy cause.
MVFB captain Michael Hayward is one of several local firefighters who have completed multiple Sky Tower challenges with the group’s best times ranging from 13 to 18 minutes.
He will be joined this year by two new runners – Gary Page-Wood and Noelene Mallam – as well as Matt Williams, Hamish Townshend, Lee Clutterbuck and Graham Kerrigan.
Hayward says once the decision was made to participate, training got underway with some firefighters even starting at the end of last year.
“On average, people have been training a few times a week at the gym, as well as stairs around Mangawhai,” Hayward says.
“A couple of the team also have a friendly competition running on the stair machine at the local gym.
“We’re all inspired to take on the challenge, raising money for a great cause. It also gets us moving, keeps up our fitness and provides a little healthy competition in the brigade.”
Eight New Zealanders, children and adults, are diagnosed every day with a blood cancer such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma.
The Sky Tower challenge, which was created in 2005, consistently raises over $1 million for LBC, which receives little government funding.
The funds raised go towards research, personalised care, family assistance and running support groups.
To sponsor Mangawhai’s volunteer firefighters, visit firefightersclimb.org.nz
