Challenges aren’t uncommon for Jim Doyle in his job as Vodafone Warriors managing director but none could prepare him for the 2017 Firefighter Sky Tower Stair Challenge.
Joining the cause to raise funds for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand, Doyle was in Squad 20 for the gruelling climb up 51 flights of stairs and 1103 individual steps. Not only that, participants are decked in firefighting kit weighing up to 25kg.
Others in Squad 20 included: Brodie Kane (TVNZ Breakfast sports presenter), Art Green (from ‘The Bachelor’), Tracy Ellis (PWC Foundation trustee), Brett Van Zyl (Auckland sales and operations manager, Farmers Trading Company), Mark Thomson (general manager property, Auckland Airport), Matt Ballesty (acting general manager, SKYCITY Auckland), Jonathan Browne (general manager, SKYCITY Queenstown), Glen McLatchie (CIO, SKYCITY Entertainment Group) and Chris Goddard (Bell Gully partner).
Doyle completed the climb in 17m 15s while he raised more than $12,400 of the team’s total of just over $60,000 for LBC, the second-best team tally.
Funds raised by individuals and teams for the annual cause topped $1.25 million with Auckland Airport Rescue’s team contributing the most (more than $62,.000). Among the competitors in the team was former Vodafone Warriors fullback Wade McKinnon, who had a time of 14m 48s.
The fastest individual time was 9m 20s by Josh Harrison (Mount Wellington Fire Station).
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