American Lung Association’s 10th Annual Fight for Air Climb New York City Goes Virtual

For the first time in its 10 year history, the Fight For Air Climb New York City, hosted by the American Lung Association, will be held virtually. By shifting from a physical event to one held online, the organization will reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 and remain in observance of Center for Disease Control (CDC) and state recommended guidelines. Effective immediately, participants from throughout New York City—and around the country—will be able to register, track their own progress and complete goals for the Fight For Air Climb while remaining active within their own home or community.

“The Fight For Air Climb New York City is a beloved event for our team and for many in the greater New York City community—but our top priority is always the health of our participants, volunteers and staff. For that reason, we’ve made the difficult decision to shift this year’s event to a virtual one,” said Executive Director for the American Lung Association in metro New York, Carla Sterling. “While COVID-19 may have changed our event plan, it has also strengthened our resolve to act as a community and defend the right and ability for everyone to breathe freely. We thank our participants and lung health community for working with us as committed partners to prevent lung disease, including COVID-19 through our new $25 million COVID-19 Action Initiative and other vital lung health research that saves lives.”

The 10th anniversary of the Fight For Air Climb was scheduled for April 4, 2020 at 1290 Avenue of the Americas. As a virtual event, organizers have developed new ways for people to participate virtually now through June 30. Participants are tasked with staying active and choosing a challenge including climbing, running, walking or riding.  Climbers will join the Fight For Air Climb NYC club on Strava to track the number of miles they cover to win prizes for weekly challenges. Their tracked activity will correspond with the official online leaderboard, retaining a sense of friendly competition for which the event is often known. The top ten overall winners of the 6-week Strava Competition will be announced on June 30, 2020. All are welcome to use #fightforairclimb, #everystepcounts and #nycclimb to join in on social media.

The Lung Association will allow participants to choose a virtual bib number, and provide a printable certificate upon completion. The Lung Association has also provided a list of potential local trails and parks to utilize, pending state and local guidelines on public spaces and crowds:

In 2019, the Fight For Air Climb New York City attracted over 600 people to walk or run up the 55 flights of stairs, or 1210 steps, to the top of One Penn Plaza. Climbers included firefighters from throughout the metro New York area who climb during the “Firefighter Challenge” wearing full firefighter gear, weighing up to 50 lbs. The Fight For Air Climb New York City is one of a series of American Lung Association signature fundraising events across the country, all of which have now gone virtual due to COVID-19 safety precautions.

Registration for the virtual event is $10 and participants are asked to raise $100 or more. Participants raising over $100 may be eligible for a t-shirt, incentive prize, social media mentions and more. The event aims to raise over $225,000 for the Lung Association’s mission, to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease including its work to address COVID-19. Those who registered for the event prior to the virtual announcement will get complimentary registration for the 2021 Climb.

For more information on the New York City Fight For Air Climb visit fightforairclimb.org/newyorkcity. For more information on the American Lung Association’s work on COVID-19, and the COVID-19 Action Initiative, visit Lung.org/covid19.