Meadow Lake firefighters before they climb up the BOW Building in Calgary. (submitted photo/Macylin Relitz)

By Nikita Ganovicheff

Climbing Against Cancer

Meadow Lake firefighters climb stairs to conquer cancer

May 10, 2019 | 5:00 PM

A group of Meadow Lake firefighters climbed up one of Western Canada’s tallest buildings this weekend to support the fight against cancer.

Every spring, firefighters from all over Canada and the world meet in Calgary to take part in the Firefighter Stair-Climb Challenge.

Macylin Relitz, Andrew Clements, Joe Hallahan, Chris Gill and Keenan Gill of the Meadow Lake Fire Department climbed 55 flights of stairs in the BOW Building on May 5. Relitz and her four colleagues suited up in full gear and air tanks, which adds an extra weight of 40 to 50 pounds, for the climb.

“Last year I went, my time was 57 minutes and this year I cut my time in half,” Relitz said. “It was really rewarding to be the first one up there out of my group.”

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The drastic difference in times came down to the amount of preparation for the climb.

“Last year I think I trained maybe once,” Relitz said with a laugh. “I was just going to wing it and see how it is. It was pretty terrible. I stopped a lot of times to take a lot of breaks.”

“This year, I did go to the gym quite a bit but the most training that I did was spin class,” Relitz said. She praised the spin instructors in helping her find and push her limits.

“That really helped with the endurance and to keep going even though you wanted to quit,” she said.

The challenge is in support of the non-profit Wellspring Calgary which provides support, resources and programs to people living with cancer and their caregivers. There are 17 presumptive cancers recognized as potential risks to a firefighter’s health as part of their job.

Relitz has close friends and family who were diagnosed with cancer and hopes to continue to support those affected by the disease.

“Last year I climbed for my good friend Dale Normand who’s battling cancer and this year I climbed for my auntie Margaret Relitz who passed away three years ago from cancer,” Relitz said. “It means a lot to me that this whole Wellsprings organization takes place and firefighters can show their support.”

While the climb can be grueling, Relitz says she will take part in it every year. “As long as I’m on the Meadow Lake Fire Department, or any fire department for that matter, I 100 per cent will do it every year,” she said.

Relitz also wants more of the fire department to join the challenge.

“I really hope our chief, Neil Marsh will join us next year,” Relitz said. “There were a lot of chiefs joining their fire crew this year.”

Relitz appreciates the support from her community but hopes more will assist in their fundraising efforts.

“I hope we can get more support from the community next year and just let everybody know that this is what we do every year,” she said.

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nikita.ganovicheff@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @Nikitaganov