The 2024 Firies Climb for MND in the Blue Mountains has raised more than $63,500 for motor neurone disease research at Macquarie University.
On 30 and 31 August, more than 150 people took part in the FiriesClimbforMND, tacklling the gruelling Furber Steps, which link Katoomba’s Scenic World with the floor of the Jamison Valley.
With nearly 1000 steps, it is the second-longest staircase in the Blue Mountains, offering a daunting prospect to bushwalkers and trail runners.
Professor Dominic Rowe, from the Macquarie University MND Research Centre, joined the climb for the first time this year after two supporters at the MND Gala donated $5000 for him to take part.
“It is important to lead from the front and put in the effort to climb the stairs myself,” Professor Rowe says.
“The effort is nothing compared to the challenge facing all of our patients with MND.”
Led by the event organiser, firefighter Gavin Clifton, a hard core of participants took part in the ‘Endurance Master’ challenge, spending a full 24 hours going up and down the stairs with only brief breaks.
Firies Climb for MND began in 2015 as an event where firefighters climbed the 1504 stairs of the Sydney Towers in full firefighting kit, but the pandemic saw it shift to outdoor events like the Blue Mountains challenge.
Participants have now raised more than $3 million for MND research and clinical trials at Macquarie.
Photo caption: From left: Gavin Clifton, Professor Dominic Rowe, and Firies Climb originator, Matt Pridham in the Blue Mountains.
Macquarie University, NSW 2109