Dunsandel firefighter Luke Bain seemed to get more than he bargained for as he pulled himself up yet another flight of Forsyth Barr stairs yesterday.
His four-member team also participated in the Firefighter Sky Tower Stair Challenge in Auckland earlier this year.
"This is much worse than the Sky Tower," Mr Bain panted on an upward climb.
More than 250 people braved the 5000-step course, which took them on three laps of the stadium.
Unlike the Sky Tower challenge, the Dunedin event was not competitive.
The pair competed in Dunedin because one of their colleagues had blood cancer, he said.
"So we decided to come down and raise money for a great cause."
Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand head of marketing and fundraising Leanne Tiscornia said many people found the event a "challenge", but they were able to do it at their own pace.
"People certainly had a great workout ... I imagine the course for next year would be similar, but I can’t say at this stage."
"We’re exceptionally happy at this point, especially considering it’s our first year."
The athletes included people who had a personal connection to the issues, or those who just wanted to "feel like they were making a contribution".
