Maungatūroto volunteer firefighters support their station officer Glenn Orford, left, as he fundraises for this weekend's Sky Tower challenge. Photo / Supplied
Maungatūroto volunteer firefighters support their station officer Glenn Orford, left, as he fundraises for this weekend's Sky Tower challenge. Photo / Supplied
The pain of lugging 25kg up the Sky Tower's 1000 stairs pales in comparison to the experience Kiwis diagnosed with cancer face.
"I got a few weird looks running up the hill with the gear," Orford said. "People wonder what the hell is going on. I'd get asked where the fire is."
Orford and his Marsden Refinery work mates firefighters are spurred on in the gruelling challenge by thoughts of brave 6-year-old Florence London.
The small girl with a big smile was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in February 2019 and underwent long bouts of intensive treatment at Starship Hospital.
"Florence is definitely our motivation," Orford said.
Although he admitted his competitive streak would help drive the previous winner in the event's grand masters division across the finish line.
"It's a head game," Orford said. "You hate it while you're doing it but then you get a massive adrenaline rush when you finish."
The fastest time last year was claimed by Auckland firefighter Josh Harrison who reached the top of the tower in 8 minutes 17 seconds.
Christchurch's Helen Sinclair was the fastest woman up the Sky Tower with a time of 13 minutes 28 seconds.