The Sky Tower Challenge is an annual event where firefighters from around the country race up the 1,103 steps of Auckland’s iconic Sky Tower in a charity fundraiser for the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation (LBF).
The Sky Tower event is an exhausting 51 floors. Fire-fighters start in the basement of the building, climb four floors then circumnavigate the tower on the ground floor, re-enter the tower and climb to the 44th floor where they again circumnavigate the tower before ascending the last seven flights to the finish. The current tower record is 09:35 minutes set in 2010.
This year the climb, which is to be held on May 21st, has attracted a record number of participants, with over 400 firefighters from around the world entering the race.
Raglan is one of 17 brigades from around the Waikato taking part.
Prizes are awarded to those firefighters who get to the top of the Sky Tower first, but the competition is just as fierce for the spot of top fundraisers.
The Leukemia and Blood Foundation is the national organisation in New Zealand dedicated to supporting patients and their families living with blood conditions.