By Natalie Singer
Seattle Times
SEATTLE — There was no fire, but it sure was hot inside Seattle's Columbia Center Sunday.
Brows sweated, muscles bulged, tattoos peek-a-booed, and a continual chorus of catcalls echoed through the downtown Seattle skyscraper in support of the more than 1,300 gear-laden firefighters who powered up stories of stairs to benefit the fight against blood cancer. It took all day to get the firefighters, more than 1,200 men and nearly 100 women ages 18 to 66, through the course — a grueling 788-foot vertical climb that takes up to several months of extra training to prepare for.
By the time they reached the top, the overheated firefighters puffed, swayed and wriggled like worms to get out from under their heavy coats, breathing masks and metal air tanks.
Each firefighter coming off the last step walked straight into the arms of two volunteers, who moved down the hallway unbuttoning clothes and lifting off gear with NASCAR pit-stop precision. Minutes later, after stripping down, rehydrating and loosening up with a free massage, the men and women from around the country and beyond traded jokes, cheered others and shrugged off the strain.
One firefighter, emerging at the top, dropped to the floor in full gear and gave the crowd five energetic push-ups, to a round of extra-loud hoots.
But if they managed to still look good at the end of it, they didn't seem to notice. Their top concern was raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society — and maybe the bragging rights that come along with hauling in more cash or racing to the top faster than other departments. Last year, competitors raised more than $365,000 for the society.
Civilians eager to try the climb can participate in the Big Climb on March 16 that also benefits to society. See www.bigclimb.org to register.
Seattle Fire Department's Zach Schade, 40, of Tumwater, climbed the steps in 11 minutes, 37 seconds to capture his second consecutive Scott Firefighter Stairclimb title, while Denise Little, 34, of the Sparks (Nev.) Fire Department, near Reno, captured the women's title in 17 minutes, 34 seconds.
"Nah. Us? Competitive?" joked Capt. Ralph Ashmore, 46, of the Redmond Fire Department, who was proud to say his own climb, which took about 18 minutes, was faster than last year. Waiting with his buddies, who had yet to make the climb, Ashmore sat in a corner in the vast bowels of the Columbia Center, where departments from as far as New Zealand spread gear, camping chairs, and of course, because they are firefighters, snacks into every nook and cranny.
Jim Odell, 40, from Redmond, said he uses the event to gauge how fit he is. His co-worker, Bryan Martin, 31, was readying for his first-ever climb and planning to try to power through on a single compressed air tank, although many firefighters choose to switch to a fresh one on Floor 40.
For Seattle firefighter Ryan Doherty, who also completed in the event last year, Sunday was different.
In December, the son of a family friend was diagnosed with cancer.
"It's a lot more personal this time," he said after the climb. "I wanted to do it for him."
The little boy, Alex Davidson, 7, watched eagerly from the sidelines on the top floor for about 20 minutes for his buddy to emerge. Every time the pounding footsteps of another firefighter bounded down that hall, followed by the wail of an oxygen alarm as they yanked their breathing apparatus off, Alex craned his fuzzy head around the corner to check for Doherty. He waved a homemade sign with a red heart, and hung back to hug his mom's leg when it all got to be a bit too much.
Finally, Doherty, flushed and a little drippy, with a picture of Alex taped to the front of his faded black coat, swept past the boy and gave him a high-five. Alex, of few words, grinned a big, toothless smile of approval.
