Winnipeg man climbing equivalent of 58,000 feet to raise money for CancerCare Manitoba

A Winnipeg man is trying to climb 58,000 feet in 24 hours to raise money for CancerCare Manitoba — sort of.

Alex Long’s gruelling journey began Friday afternoon in Winnipeg, using a Jacob’s ladder, a continuous, angled treadmill that requires the user to climb its never-ending rungs.

“The only parallel to Mount Everest is the distance,” Long told 680 CJOB this week.

“I’m a born and bred Winnipegger, but not a big fan of the cold, so I have no intention to climb the side of a mountain.”

The long-distance stationary “climb”, however, isn’t new to Long. Two years ago, he took part in a similar fundraiser at the Winnipeg Winter Club, and raised $5,200 over a 36-hour period — 17 or 18 hours of which included actual climbing.

This time, Long said he’s doing it in a single shot, with only seven hours or so of total rest time.

“I’ve decided to up the game, because this time I don’t need to leave the facility,” he said.

“This time, with Richard Burr Fitness, I’ve got 24-hour access, and I’m going to challenge myself to do the full 58,000 feet in a 24-hour window.”

Long said he expects the ordeal to require about four days of recovery time, “because it depletes you in every way”.

“It’s gruelling, because you’re using your core, your legs, your calves are burning almost instantly… and then the contact points — the heel of your hands, those parts that are striking the ladder every time you’re moving, all of those get worn down really fast.

“By the end of it, it’s a stinging sensation every time you drop your hands onto the bars, and your feet are sore. It’s pretty brutal.”

The effort is part of the 2021 Ride Inside event, for which CancerCare Manitoba has teamed up with Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler and his wife Sam for the third consecutive year.

“One of the things that was a really neat part of the genesis of this event was the Wheelers’ desire to do more than just support financially,” said CancerCare Manitoba Foundation president Patti Smith, adding that Long’s climb is specifically raising funds for Precision Oncology For Young People (PROFYLE).

“The mandate of PROFYLE is to treat the hardest-to-treat cancers in kids and young people,” she said.

“The who purpose of PROFYLE is to provide hope, and it’s a partnership across the country.”

0:56 Winnipeg shout-out from Mount Everest