American Lung Association - Fighting for Air

Event Information 2011

 Sunday, March 27, 2011 | Presidential Towers

Join the hundreds of individuals and teams who will climb their way to the top of the Presidential Towers for a great cause, lung health. This is more than your same-old 5K. This event is a vertical race to climb 45 floors of 1, 2, 3 or all 4 of the Presidential Towers. That's a total of 2,340 steps! Plus, the Fight for Air Climb at Presidential Towers features Chicago's only Stairclimb Relay Challenge.

Whether climbing for a winning time or simply to cross the finish line, this event is a great way to challenge yourself physically. We guarantee that all finishers will have a newfound respect for healthy lungs!

View the video or photos from the 2010 Fight for Air Climb at Presidential Towers!

You can get involved by:

• Registering as a Team Captain
• Joining an existing Team as a new partiicpant
• Signing up as an individual participant
• Sponsoring the event
• Joining the event planning committee
• Making a contribution to support a participant

Beat Your Time! New This Year! Try to Beat Your Time from the 2009 or 2010 Fight for Air Climb at Presidential Towers this year. We'll have the 2009 and 2010 finish times at the event. Once you complete the 2011 Climb, find out if you beat your time. If you did, we'll give you an extra ribbon for your medal for improving your time!

2009 and 2010 Finish Times:  Check out how you did the last two years or what the competition looks like. You can view the results at TheRacersHub.com. Click HERE for 2009 results or HERE for 2010 results.

 Two Unique Challenges, One Breathtaking Event!

The Greatest Urban Stairclimb Challenge
Participate as an individual or create a team to climb 1, 2, 3 or all 4 of the Presidential Towers. That's 180 floors and 2,340 steps! Walk, run or sprint the indoor distance between the towers.

Tower Options
One Tower Climb - 45 floors, 585 steps
Two Tower Climb - 90 floors, 1,170 steps
Three Tower Climb - 135 floors, 1,775 steps
Four Tower Climb - 180 floors, 2,340 steps

Please note: Multiple Tower Climbs are intended to be consecutive. Elevator time will be removed from timing results, however the time spent walking or sprinting the skyway between the towers will be included.

Team Categories
Corporate Team Challenge Teams of five or more will compete for the title of fastest corporate team. The top three Corporate Teams will be awarded. Fuel the fun and competition in your work place by creating multiple teams!

Fire Department Challenge Teams of five or more firefighters will compete for the title of the fastest Fire Department. Firefighters climb in full gear (mask, boots, tank, etc.) excluding their ax. Firefighters can also climb in the Individual Firefighter Challenge for the title of the fastest firefighter.

Health Club Challenge Build a team of five or more health club employees and members and compete against other health clubs.

Collegiate Challenge Form a team of five or more of your classmates and friends from your college or university to compete against other Chicagoland college students.

Family and Friends Invite your family and friends to step up to the challenge with you and build a team of 5 or more.

Chicago's Only Stairclimb Relay Challenge 
Add the thrill of a relay to your stairclimb experience. Create a 4-person relay team. Each team member will tackle one of the Presidential Towers, climbing 45 floors.

Relay Team Categories
Corporate Relay Show your company’s competitive spirit by building a team of four to compete in the Corporate Relay. Each team member will climb 45 floors of one tower, passing off the timing chip between towers.

Family and Friends Relay Conquer Presidential Towers with a team of four family and friends! Each team member will climb 45 floors of one tower, passing off the timing chip between towers. 

Registration and Fundraising
Only 1500 entries available! Don't miss out. Secure your place today.

Individual Climbers 
Registration Fee - $15 Early Bird | $25 after January 7, 2011
Minimum Fundraising/Donation: $100 (due by event day)

Teams 
Each climber on a team is responsible for his/her own individual Registration Fee and Fundraising Minimum.
Registration fee per climber: $15 Early Bird | $25 after January 7, 2011
Minimum Fundraising/Donation per climber: $100 (due by event day)

Fee and Donation Details 
The registration fee is due at the time of registration and is non-refundable. Climbers have until event day to meet their minimum fundraising requirement. Climbers who have not met their fundraising requirement on event day will need to pay the outstanding amount in order to participate in the climb. Pledges made to the American Lung Association on behalf of climbers who cancel or do not participate in the climb are non-refundable.

Collecting Pledges & Fundraising 
Our online fundraising tools make fundraising quick and simple. You can personalize your webpage with a photo and text about what motivates you to join the Fight for Air. Send emails to friends and family asking for support and to receive online credit card pledges. Any offline donations (cash or checks) that are collected can be mailed to:

 American Lung Association in Greater Chicago
Attn: Fight for Air Climb – Presidential Towers
55 W. Wacker Drive, Ste 800
Chicago, IL 60601

Checks should be made payable to the AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION. Click HERE to download and print a pledge form to make your donation collection process easy.

Celebrated Chefs 
This is a unique dining program that supports the work of non-profit organizations, including the American Lung Association. Enrollment is free and includes the Celebrated Chefs cookbook. Visit the Celebrated Chefs table on event day to register your credit card. Dine at participating restaurants and the restaurant automatically donates 5% of your bill back to the Lung Association. It is that simple!

Ticket to Climb
Raise more than $1,000 and be eligible to climb for FREE at any of the other Upper Midwest Region stairclimb events in 2011.  

This includes the following stairclimb cities:  

Oakbrook Terrace, IL - February 13, 2011
Springfield, IL - February 19, 2011
Indianapolis, IN - March 12, 2011
Milwaukee, WI - March 19, 2011
Minneapolis, Minnesota - February 26, 2011
DeMoines, IA - March 27, 2011

Climb Boot Camps
We are excited to introduce our Fight for Air Boot Camps. Whether you are just starting a fitness plan or tackling the tower to set a new personal record, the Fight for Air Boot Camp will help you reach your goals. Training will include a variety of activitiesincluding practice climbs in Presidential Towers' stairwells.

Boot Camp sessions will be held on Saturday mornings from 8:00-9:00am on March 5th, March 12th and March 19th. To be eligible for Boot Camp, you must individually raise a total of: $150 by session one, $250 by session two and $350 by session three. Each Boot Camp participantrs will receive a FREE Climber in Training Shirt for participating. RSVP for Boot Camp by clicking HERE

Climb After-Party

The American Lung Association Auxiliary Board is happy to present the first annual Climb After-Party at Dylans Tavern and Grill, just one block from Presidential Towers. All climbers and their guests are invited to celebrate starting at 10:30am after the Climb. Food and drink specials will be offered to climbers, who present their bibs, and their guests. Specials include:

• $2 Domestic Drafts (Miller Lite and Bud Lite)
• $2 PBR Cans
• $3 Shiner Block
• $4 Well Drinks
• $5 Burgers and Grilled Chicken Sandwiches (ala cart)

Training Tips

Start training today click HERE to view the CLIMB Fitness Guide for training tips, stretches and exercises to prepare for the Climb.

Event Day Information
Start Times Participants will receive their start times prior to the event via email. Start times will also be posted online 24 hours prior to the event. Start times will begin at 7:30 am and the doors will open at 6:45 am. Participants should arrive 30 minutes prior to their start time. Start times will be assigned in waves. Teams will be assigned the same wave. Climbers will climb individually on 15 second intervals in their wave time.

Packet Pick-up
Skip the lines on event day and join us at packet pick-up!

Friday, March 25th 4-7pm
American Lung Association in Greater Chicago
55 W. Wacker Drive Suite 800 Chicago, IL 60601

Saturday, March 26th 1-4pm
Presidential Towers
555 W. Madison Chicago, IL 60661 (entrance off of Clinton).

Please note that all fundraising must be raised and turned in by pick up. Each individual must pick up his/her own packet. A photo ID is required.
If you cannot come to packet pick-up, all packets can be obtained on event day.
All participants will receive a technical tee, goody bag and bib.

Gear Check Gear Check will be available to all participants on the day of the event. Please leave any valuable items at home, as we cannot be responsible for lost or stolen items at the event.

Water Stations Two water stations are located in the stairwells and also on the top of the tower. Water bottles are not allowed in the stairwells, as it is a safety hazard.

Address: Presidential Towers, 555 W Madison Ave, Chicago, IL 60661. Entrance to event will be located off of Clinton and Madison.

Donate your used cell phones, empty inkjet and toner cartridges to the Fight for Air Climb at Presidential Towers. For each cell phone, empty inkjet and toner cartridge you bring and donate to the Climb, Chicago Green Office Company will donate $1 to the American Lung Association. Climbers can bring more than one item to donate. Ask neighbors, friends, family and coworkers for these items and help the American Lung Association reach its goal! Recycling these items today builds a strong future for our children and ensures a clean environment. It's up to you to make a difference today.

Awards 

All particpants will receive a finishers medal for completing their Climb. In addition to the medal, participants have a chance to compete for the following awards. Awards will be announced and sent out 3-6 weeks after the event.

Individual Awards Awards will be given to the top three finishers for men and women in each category. All participants will be divided into the following age groups:
12 and under, 13-18, 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+ (Awards based on Tower 1 times). Overall Male/Female in each Tower category will be awarded as well.

Team Awards Groups of five or more can form a team and compete against other climb teams.  Your team may consist of men and/or women in any age category. The five fastest times on your team will be combined to determine the winners. Each team member's individual time will count toward individual age categories. The three fastest teams in each category will be awarded. (Awards based on Tower 1 times).

Individual Firefighter Challenge Top 3 fastest firefighters, whether climbing with their department or as an individual, will be awarded. (Awards based on Tower 1 times).

Safety & Climber Etiquette
To ensure the safety of all climbers and to allow for the best experience, please pass slower climbers on the wall without the rail and let them know you are coming from behind to pass. You should always climb on the rail side. Emergency teams will be located at the bottom and top of the tower in case you need assistance. Volunteers will be available at the water stations to notify them if you are in need of help.