kupchurch@heraldsun.com; 419-6612
DURHAM – On Wednesday, Durham firefighter Touché Howard will climb to new heights – literally.
Wearing his firefighter gear, Howard plans to walk up to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building in New York City.
The Empire State Building Run-up will raise money for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, and Howard hopes to make it up all 1,567 steps.
“Let’s be realistic,” Howard said. “I’ll just be trying to walk up, crawl up, at the end.”
But being realistic for Howard also means training hard, which the 50-year-old has been doing for months with help from fellow firefighters at Station One on Morgan Street downtown.
That means running up steps at the station or on a stair machine at the YMCA, lifting weights and building his strength for what will be the steepest physical challenge of his life. He’s ready to take it on.
“These guys are keeping a close eye on me, and they’re pushing me hard,” he said. “I think I’m going to be as ready as I possibly can be.”
But Howard is modest, and wants people to know that the focus isn’t on him, but on the foundation which does research on myeloma, a blood cancer.
Still, Howard will be the only firefighter in the race of 500 to 600 contestants, and will be wearing full turn-out gear and an air pack, which adds 55 pounds to his load. He’ll be the last person in line, and expects to get started about 10:30 p.m. for the race, which is being held at night when the stairwell is less crowded.
Howard isn’t sure how long the race will take, how far he’ll get or when his air supply will run out. But firefighters at the station are placing bets on that, with the money going to the research foundation.
The race is sponsored by the New York Roadrunners Association, and includes three groups:
- Elite runners from around the world, who will go first when the race starts.
- About 100 racers who are raising money for the foundation.
- Several hundred others who applied to participate through a lottery.
Howard knows he won’t be passing many runners, most of whom will be wearing gym clothes. But that doesn’t matter to him.
“The real story is not me making this climb,” he said. “It’s the foundation that’s done all this hard work, and giving me a chance to do it. And the people here at the station have done so much hard work to get me ready for it. It’s going to be a substantial challenge.”
TO LEARN MORE
For information about the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, visit www.themmrf.org
