Couple to conquer 297m tower

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Couple to conquer 297m tower

A LEONGATHA couple will race to the top of the Melbourne’s tallest building.
Scott Hillis and Tiffany Van Horick will take part in the 11th annual Eureka Stair Climb on Sunday, November 25.
They will scale 1642 steps, or 88 floors, to the Eureka Skydeck at the top of the 297m Eureka Tower, and raise money for the Fred Hollows Foundation while doing so to restore sight to some of the poorest people in the world.
Mr Hillis is a firefighter with Leongatha CFA and will complete the feat for the second time wearing breathing apparatus gear weighing 25kg.
Last year, the brigade first lieutenant climbed the tower in 40 minutes.
“Completing the climb is more to keep fit but I have already raised a few hundred dollars and the Fred Hollows Foundation is such a good cause and it’s another challenge,” Mr Hillis said.
“Last year, the last third of the climb was really when I started to notice the difference between fitness and elite fitness. I thought I was relatively fit.”
While Ms Van Horick will complete the climb for the first time, she is relishing the challenge.
“It’s a little bit scary but I’ve been in scary situations in boxing and kickboxing,” she said, adding she has fought in Thailand and also professionally.
“It’s all about giving yourself goals. I do have a time limit that I want to do it in – under 19 minutes – which is the average time girls do it in.
“I have strength but I don’t have the long legs.”
The pair has been training at Voyage Fitness in Leongatha and just recently climbed a 1.7km high volcano in Bali, walking from midnight for three hours and navigating with the aid of a guide and headtorches.
They arrived atop Mt Batur in time to watch the sun rise and then descended on loose shale, struggling to stay upright.
Mr Hillis is using the climb, and the training it requires, to maintain the fitness he gained as a football umpire with South Gippsland Umpires Association.
John Brumby AO, chair of The Fred Hollows Foundation, said, “The Eureka Tower is the highest public vantage point in the Southern Hemisphere, so as you can imagine, there will be a tremendous sense of achievement for participants when they reach the top.
“The Eureka Stair Climb is a great community-spirited event where every climber can not only conquer a personal goal, they can also give the gift of sight to some of the world’s poorest people living with avoidable blindness.”
Mr Brumby said there was a “nice synergy between the Eureka Stair Climb and Fred Hollows’ energy for scaling new heights, through both his love of mountaineering and through the eye care innovations he championed, particularly in modern cataract surgery.
“Fred was greatly respected and admired for the way he confronted a challenge head on and I hope that same tenacity inspires people to take on the Eureka Stair Climb and helps us continue the life-changing work Fred started.”
The Eureka Stair Climb is open to anyone over the age of 12, in categories ranging from elite racers and emergency services personnel to fitness fanatics, walkers and first-timers.
Each participant must raise at least $50, which can change the lives of up to two people as The Fred Hollows Foundation can restore sight for as little as $25 in some countries.
Every Eureka Stair Climber who completes the event will receive a finishing medal and prizes will be on offer for the winning times and best dressed by category.
To register and for more information, visit www.eurekastairclimb.org.

Up they go: Leongatha couple Tiffany Van Horick and Scott Hillis atop Mt Batur, Bali, ahead of taking part in the 11th annual Eureka Stair Climb on Sunday, November 25.

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Posted by on Nov 20 2018. Filed under Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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