Fighting Fit: From Left Nigel Le Grice, Newlands, Tim Cook, Newlands and Paul Setefano, Porirua, get ready to throw on their gear and race up Auckland’s Sky Tower to raise money for the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation May this year.
Wellington North Firefighters are training hard to race other firefighters up the Auckland Sky Tower in this years eighth Firefighter Sky Challenge.
Firefighters from Porirua, Titahi Bay, Newlands and Tawa will be joined by firefighters from all over New Zealand and the world on May 21st in a bid to raise money for the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation.
This is Porirua Volunteer firefighter Paul Setefano’s second year at racing and he says he is looking forward to the challenge.
“I caught the bug last year and now I’m hooked,” he says.
This year he will be dedicating his run to Kurt Filiga – a 20 year old Wellington film maker who died in September last year from leukaemia.
Mr Setefano says he is getting anxious prior to the race, but his mental state goes through all sorts of phases.
“Last yearlining upfor my run, I wondered, would anyone notice if I disappeared? Then once I started, I remember climbing with an angry determination and the once you’ve worked out a rhythm, adrenaline pushes you up the last 15 flights.
“Reaching the finishing gate on the 51st floor was just an over whelming sense of elation, cheered on by your peers and supporters you quickly forget everything you were feeling before finishing including the fact that you just hauled 25kg of extra weight in a suit that feels like a portable sauna and wearing a helmet which restricts your body’s ability to ventilate through the top of your head,” Mr Setefano says.
Newlands Volunteer firefighter Nigel Le Grice says this year he just wants to see the finish line.
“I just want to knock 10 minutes off my time,” he says.
Mr Le Grice says his main drive behind the race is for his family.
“My partner’s dad passed away from leukaemia and so did my mum.”
The crew is aiming to raise $5000 for the run and has findin different methods to raise the money.
Mr Le Grice says crew members have gone from walking around in their uniform asking for donations, to holding quiz nights at local pubs.
They have also received a three-month gym training membership from City Fitness.
Mr Le Grice says a group of the firefighters went to a colleague’s house for a working bee – the colleague then donated $1000 for the cause.
Auckland’s Sky Tower has 1103 stairs up 51 floors. It is 200m in height.
The voluneers have been training hard, finding whatever sets of stairs they can find. Mr Setefano says he has been training in his car park building. Last year they had access to the Majestic Centre, climbing it twice to make up the height of the Sky Tower.
Foundation executive director Pru Etcheverry says the organisation is delighted by the generosity of the New Zealand firefighters and their communities.
“The Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge has really grown into an amazing iconic event.
“Firefighters are our all-time heroes, and we are always humbled by their generosity and fighting spirit to time and again support people they have never met,” Ms Etcheverry says.
If you would like to donate money to the foundation and support your local firefighters in the race, please email Nigel.LeGrice@fire.org.nz. For more information visit http://www.firefightersclimb.org.nz
From City Life News Porirua By Dani McDonald
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