Climbers fight cancer - 1,311 steps at a time
SEATTLE - Climbing one, two or three flights of stairs can leave you winded. But thousands of people braved 69 flights of stairs Sunday at Seattle's Columbia Tower.
It was more than a fitness exercise - the competition also raised money to fight cancer.
And the satisfaction of walking to the top of the West Coast's tallest building did wonders for many individuals' self-esteem, too.
"I just climbed 69 flights of stairs - 1,311 steps - and I did it!" gushed Marquita Henley.
Others felt more of a sense of exhaustion.
"I'm glad it's over," laughed Kerri Fitch.
What motivated many people to do a back-breaking workout on a Sunday morning was the hope that it could help loved ones - including small children.
Sarah Thorsteinson said her son Caleb was diagnosed with leukemia at 11 months old, and he is now 3 years old.
"So we've done a little over two years of treatment," she says. "And he is my little superhero."
Caleb finally has hair after chemotherapy. His supporters look at it like this - if a baby can conquer an uphill battle every day, they can conquer one.
"It takes 10 or 15 minutes - and they have a lifetime sometimes. So 15 or 20 minutes getting to the top of those stairs, it's well worth it," says Fitch.
This is the 24th Big Climb supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Some 6,000 climbers from 19 states hit the stairs Sunday to raise money for cancer patients. Some also climb to compete - the record so far is finishing the climb in just over seven minutes.
Organizers of the event played uplifting music in the stairwell and posted signs designed to encourage climbers - especially as they got toward the top.
And the encouragement was welcome, too, as participants climbed the 57th-tallest building in the world.
But the greatest enthusiasm came from helping a worthy cause that may save the lives of loved ones.
"I'd do it again for them," said Henley. "I'll be here again next year. And if they asked me to do it again today -I'd do it."
It was more than a fitness exercise - the competition also raised money to fight cancer.
And the satisfaction of walking to the top of the West Coast's tallest building did wonders for many individuals' self-esteem, too.
"I just climbed 69 flights of stairs - 1,311 steps - and I did it!" gushed Marquita Henley.
Others felt more of a sense of exhaustion.
"I'm glad it's over," laughed Kerri Fitch.
What motivated many people to do a back-breaking workout on a Sunday morning was the hope that it could help loved ones - including small children.
Sarah Thorsteinson said her son Caleb was diagnosed with leukemia at 11 months old, and he is now 3 years old.
"So we've done a little over two years of treatment," she says. "And he is my little superhero."
Caleb finally has hair after chemotherapy. His supporters look at it like this - if a baby can conquer an uphill battle every day, they can conquer one.
"It takes 10 or 15 minutes - and they have a lifetime sometimes. So 15 or 20 minutes getting to the top of those stairs, it's well worth it," says Fitch.
This is the 24th Big Climb supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Some 6,000 climbers from 19 states hit the stairs Sunday to raise money for cancer patients. Some also climb to compete - the record so far is finishing the climb in just over seven minutes.
Organizers of the event played uplifting music in the stairwell and posted signs designed to encourage climbers - especially as they got toward the top.
And the encouragement was welcome, too, as participants climbed the 57th-tallest building in the world.
But the greatest enthusiasm came from helping a worthy cause that may save the lives of loved ones.
"I'd do it again for them," said Henley. "I'll be here again next year. And if they asked me to do it again today -I'd do it."