The 62-year-old upholsterer said he had been training since Christmas by running up and down Parihaka's Drummond Track wearing a vest with 25kg of wheel weights sewn into it.
"Consistently training with weights is the only way to go, I'm convinced of it ...Though the older you get the more effort you have to put in to get a result," he said.
His fundraising secret is simple: He sits in his customer's offices and doesn't leave until they donate.
"People are incredibly generous," he said.
The fastest Northlander this year was Glen Scott of Kerikeri who completed the climb in 13m26s, while the fastest Northland woman was Jolene Axon of Ruakaka whose time of 15m30s placed her sixth in the female open division.
Paihia's Tanya Bijl had been training hard and aimed to be the fastest woman overall this year, her third time in the challenge. However, two weeks earlier she almost chopped off a finger in a kitchen accident and had surgery to reattach nerves and tendons.
She resumed training a few days later but underestimated how hard it would be to run up the tower with one hand still in a splint.
"It was the hardest race this year as I realised how much of a disadvantage I had with only having one working arm. My friend Jonny Greener stayed with me the whole way up. I thought about giving up a few times, but I kept going as I knew he'd never let me stop."
Her time, 16m21s, was her "worst ever" but she still felt proud.
The second best individual fundraiser with a total of $22,742 was event founder Tony Scott, who works for Auckland Airport Fire Rescue but lives at Pakaraka in the Mid North.
The top fundraising brigade was Auckland Airport with $62,118 while the fastest firefighter for the seventh year running was Josh Harrison of Mt Wellington Brigade in 9m20s.
Firefighters took part from all over New Zealand as well as Australia, USA, Chile and Croatia.
NORTHLAND RESULTS
Top results in each division only. Go to firefightersclimb.org.nz for full results.
Team fundraising (leaderboard position/amount raised)
Kerikeri (6/$26,499), Onerahi (11/$16,387), Dargaville (29/$10,130), Paihia (31/$9882), Kamo (38/$8794), Kaikohe (60/$5841), Marsden (65/$5354), Ruakaka (72/$4757), Kawakawa (81/$3924), Ahipara (84/$3795), Waipu (97/$2810).
Race times: donned and started* (leaderboard position/time)
Male open: Glen Scott, Kerikeri (51/13m26s), Oscar Channings, Ruakaka (54/13m37s), Brett Curtis, Kerikeri (98/15m02s). Male masters: Paul Austin, Marsden (19/13m56s), Frederick Loov, Paihia (30/14m29s), Michael Champtaloup, Paihia (34/14m46s), Craig Linton, Marsden (36/14m48s). Male grand masters: Clinton Lyall, Northern Rural (24/17m34s), Brian Redwood, Onerahi (47/25m51s), Ngaia Cruden, Kerikeri (50/29m12s). Male supreme masters: Brian Clancey, Onerahi (4/17m05s), Barry Lapsley, Kamo (11/25m07s).
Female open: Jolene Axon, Ruakaka (6/15m30s), Tanya Bijl, Paihia (7/16m21s), Renee Gatehouse, Ruawai (28/19m51s), Natalia Partridge, Ruawai (29/19m54s). Female masters: Georgie Ivey, Kamo (20/38m15s).
Race times: donned
Male open: Baden Curel, Dargaville (13/15m43s), Brendan Howe, Kamo (14/15m58s), Mark Wilson, Ahipara (21/18m). Male masters: Carl Horscroft, Dargaville (6/16m04s), Nigel Greaves, Dargaville (14/16m31s), Jeff Cleary, Dargaville (24/19m18s). Male grand masters: Ian Gibson, Ahipara (6/15m13s).
Female open: Adelene Ness, Kawakawa (9/20m20s), Kahlia Scott, Kawakawa (18/31m30s). Female masters: Sarah Strathdee, Kaikohe (8/29m56s). Female grand masters: Lyndie Mullins, Waipu (6/46m31s).
* "Donned and started" means wearing and breathing through a breathing apparatus; "donned" means carrying it up the tower but breathing normally.
