That’s about 1300 steps straight up.
With just a slight twist to make it interesting – such as being fully kitted out in 25kg of firefighting clobber to carry with you, all the way to the top.
Michael was one of 997 first responders who attacked the annual Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb, a remarkable challenge in the name of charity, raising money for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation, Lifeline and 000.
After watching colleagues from around the region tackle the lungbuster in 2025, the 32-year-old decided he could, and should, give it a go.
“The only problem is, there just aren’t that many stairs around Timmering – in fact, there aren’t any,” Michael said with a laugh.
“So I have been getting in as much cardio as possible and hoped it would hold me together, especially my calves and glutes.
“When I saw so many others I know having a crack, I thought I could, and should, do it too and with the climb having a target of $1 million, which goes towards cancer research and crisis support, every little bit counts.”
And as his brigade doesn’t have full structural gear, he had the breathing apparatus as part of his load, but he wasn’t wearing it, instead it was strapped to his back.
Michael’s other goal — apart from survival — was to match, or preferably best, the 11 minutes fellow brigade member Rick Wilcock clocked in 2025 when he was with Bamawm Extension.
No problem there. But after waking up a smidgen stiff on Sunday morning, any plans about breaking his own mark in 2027 are currently on the very back burner.
