Ady McKenzie, of Whangarei Fire Station, finished well over a minute ahead of the next-placed female firefighter. Photo / File
Ady McKenzie, of Whangarei Fire Station, finished well over a minute ahead of the next-placed female firefighter. Photo / File
Whangārei's Ady McKenzie, who has been a firefighter for less than a year, was the fastest woman to climb the Sky Tower in Saturday's stair challenge.
She made it to the top in just over 13 minutes - wearing up to 25kg of firefighting equipment - despite never having attempted it before.
McKenzie said she loved doing the challenge and her background in marathon running and triathlons was of some assistance.
"That does help - I've got what we call an aerobic base."
She started work at the Whangārei Fire Station just six months ago, having only begun her firefighting training in September last year. McKenzie was previously a teacher of sport and recreation at NorthTec for 14 years.
She completed the challenge, climbing 1103 steps to the top, in just 13 minutes and 12 seconds, well over a minute ahead of the next woman in the competition.
Kaikohe's Maaka McKinney and his dog, Blaze, completed the challenge. Photo / Supplied
She prepared by walking and hiking around Whangārei Heads.
"I just did a lot of hiking, trekking up the mountains with a lot of extra weight."
McKenzie said it helped knowing how fast she needed to be to be the first woman to finish the climb.
"Being from a competitive background, I had a look at the old results and stuff, so I knew I had to be around the 12, 13-minute mark."
McKenzie is the first woman to work at the Whangārei station in nine years.
Out of more than 600 competitors, 86 female firefighters took part in the challenge.
There are just 62 paid female firefighters in New Zealand - and 1632 paid male firefighters. However, there are also 1776 female volunteer firefighters and 9230 male volunteers.
McKenzie was not quite the fastest Northlander in the competition - that title went to Paul Austin from Marsden Pt, who finished in 11 minutes 54 seconds.
Maaka McKinney, from the Kaikohe Brigade, completed the challenge accompanied by his dog, Blaze.
The challenge itself has never been quite enough for McKinney, however. This year he decided to walk from Tutakaka to Auckland for the challenge, while last year he cycled and ran from Bluff.
The fastest competitor overall was Auckland's Josh Harrison, who completed it in 8 minutes, 11 seconds.
The event, which raises funds for the Leukaemia and Blood Cancer Foundation, is now in its 14th year. The event has become a major source of funding for the foundation, earning $6 million since it began, and $1.25m this year.
