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Firefighters conquer Seattle Stairclimb event
by Tim Bondy
Mountain Home News
Two representatives from the Mountain Home Fire Department tackled a yearly challenge that will help in the ongoing quest to find a cure for leukemia and lymphoma types of cancer.
Two local fire fighters were among the 1,800 individuals competing in the 25th Annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb, held at the Columbia Center in Seattle on March 6.
Representing the Mountain Home Fire Department at this year's event were Elsa Guillen and Hank Patrick. For Guillen, this was her fifth year involved in the gruelling charity climb and the second year for Patrick.
"The stairclimb was as hard and challenging as I remembered it was," Guillen said while adding how privileged she felt just to be involved in the event.
The event, which takes place in the Seattle skyscraper, involves climbing 69 floors or about 1,356 stairs. Competitors complete the climb wearing their full fire fighting equipment and also wearing a mask and oxygen tank.
There were 335 fire departments from the United States and six others counties involved in this year's climb. Guillen said she met the fire fighters from Chile while gathering for the climb and was impressed with their dedication to helping find a cure for cancer.
"It all begins with a battalion lining up in a hallway with bagpipe music blaring. That really pumps you up just before beginning the challenge," Patrick said.
"They release us up a staircase that is about 'this wide' (about four feet wide) at 12-second intervals. If you're faster than the guy in front of you, you have to squeeze by, and it can get crazy then," Guillen added.
Patrick said once the fire fighters complete the climb they are standing on top of a building with a huge view of the city spreading out below them. However, a majority climbers are quite winded and all they can think of is catching their breath.
Before heading out to the Seattle stairclimb, the two fire fighters did some local fund raising for the event's beneficiary, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Patrick raised $1,740 dollars and Guillen raised another $2,010, with most of that money coming from a stairclimbing event at the local Walmart.
"We raised a lot of money, but I feel really bad that we broke the stairclimbing machines that Anytime Fitness allowed us to use during the fund raiser," Guillen said.
While still in the early stages of the calculations, officials from the 25th Annual Scott Firefighter Stairclimb said they raised more than $2 million for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Final figures won't be available until later this month.
While each fire fighter competes in the challenge for their own private reasons, bragging rights for the fastest times always comes into play. The fastest overall time was registered by a Montana fire fighter at 10 minutes and 43 seconds, and the slowest time clocked in at over two hours.
Patrick climbed the 1,356 stairs in just 21 minutes, 17 seconds, and Guillen made it to the 69th floor in 30:12. Neither attained their personal best but let on just getting to the top is huge.
"The challenge isn't a sprint, so I have to pace myself from the start," Guillen said while letting on it would be nice if she had a stopwatch and could read it while wearing her mask next year.
This year's challenge featured a unique first -- a battalion of about 25 fire fighters that are also cancer survivors.
"That battalion really highlighted what the stairclimb is all about ... not personal bests but to find the cure," Guillen said.
Patrick and Guillen both said they want to participate in next year's challenge. Because of their fund raising efforts earlier this year, they have already qualify. With both fire fighters already in "challenge shape," they said their physical fitness and aerobic routines will be a year-round thing and probably for the rest of their lives.