TORONTO, April 19 (Xinhua) – For the throngs of tourists visiting the CN Tower, North America’s tallest free-standing structure, the elevator ride to the top takes a matter of seconds. But for those participating in The World Wildlife Fund Canada’s charity climb on April 19, the journey was one of heart, sweat and determination.
For 22 years, WWF Canada’s biggest annual fundraising event, the Canada Life CN Tower Climb, has attracted thousands to challenge the 533-meters-tall tower’s 144 flights of stairs – and 1,776 steps – all for raising money for its many wildlife and environmental initiatives.
This year, an estimated 5,000 people are expected to attend the registered team climb challenge on April 19 while the individual challenge that’s open to the public will be held on the morning of April 21.
For the team challenge event, individual teams compete for the total money raised, and try to outdo competitors in speed and time. Each climber must submit a minimum of C$250 donation before entering the climb. Meanwhile, the individual event requires a minimum of C$75 donation from each participant.
“This is our 22-year climbing, it’s grown almost every year and we hope to continue,” said World Wildlife Fund Canada President, Gerald Butts, who’s also participating in the climb so he can attempt to beat his 20-minute record from last year. To prepare for the day, he has been biking regularly to work.
“But there’s no real training for this event,” he laughs. “It’s a challenge for sure.”
According to the organization, over 80,000 climbers have participated in the event over the past 22 years. The two-day fundraiser operates on 500 volunteers; some working from early morning to ensure everything runs like clockwork.
“Many of them will be here before sunrise on Saturday and it’s a really strong vote of support for WWF to have that many people come out of the community to give up their time on the weekend to help us,” Butts said.
WWF is expecting to raise 1.3 million from the climb this year. The fund will go toward benefiting the organization’s many conservation projects and initiatives both in Canada and abroad, including polar bear conservation in the arctic and sustaining ocean and freshwater environments. Other global initiatives benefiting from the fundraiser include tiger and orangutan conservation in South Asia.
On a sunny spring afternoon, the fundraising teams assembled in front of the tower, eagerly anticipating the ribbon-cutting at the starting line. At 6:00 p.m. the cheering crowd, some hopping with excitement while waving their hands in the air, made its way indoors to the first flight of stairs.
Joe Eppele, veteran climber and offensive lineman for the Toronto Argonauts, is easily spotted in the line. Standing over 2 meters tall (6’7), and weighing 300 lbs, Eppele explains that his size and stature can be a disadvantage during the home stretch.
“I actually think with my stature and my frame, I’m at a disadvantage,” Eppele said. “Whereas I’m carrying 300 lbs, a lot of other people are only going to be carrying 160, 180, 200 lbs, so I have an extra 100 lbs on my frame climbing up every one of those steps. So toward the end, I definitely notice that extra weight and it becomes a bit of a struggle.”
Still, he encourages anyone to join the competition.
“There’s no time limit, you can take as much time as you need, they are not going to push you, they are not going to speed you up. I’ve seen last year an eight-year-old did it, so if an eight-year-old kid can do it and I think a seventy-year-old man can do it as well,” he said.
Other climbers, like Larry Duong of team “Shred it, Don’t Sweat it”, met the challenge in stride. When asked how long it’ll take his team to make it to the top, Duong and the others said smugly “probably five minutes.’
Team ‘Shred it’ fundraising campaign had some traction from Duong’s YouTube video. In it, Duong is shown training for the event while running with his year-and-a-half-old puppy, Akira, in his arms. He later lifts him like a dumbbell.
“I think so far collectively, the team has raised almost $3,000. So yeah, as a team we did an awesome job helping the initiative,” he said, adding the team had reached over half of its intended fundraising goal already.
At the second last flight of stairs before climbers emerge into the light of the observation deck, WWF volunteers and paramedics were waiting at the platform for the first participants to arrive. Along the walls of the stairwell, were posters welcoming those who made it with a few words of gratitude, and even a friendly reminder: “keep saving wildlife.”
Around the 11-minute mark, Nikos Holmes, one of the climbers representing Canada Life, made it to the last flights of stairs with heavy steps. Still panting, he said it felt good to be at the top at 11 minutes and 15 seconds. He was just 23 seconds shy of his last year’s record.
“This is the most gruelling last flight of stairs,” one of his teammates cried out from behind him.
“You can make it,” one of the volunteers said. “See you next year.”