Over 4,000 Hustle Up The Hancock To Fight Lung Disease

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Also Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 25 Feb 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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Over 4,000 climbers participated in the 12th Annual Hustle up the Hancock stair climb event on Sunday, February 22. They did it to raise money and awareness in the fight against lung disease, the third leading cause of death and disability in the United States.

This year's climb is expected to raise more than $1 million to benefit Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago. The Association supports local programming and lung disease research to fight asthma, lung cancer and COPD.

Terry Purcell of Springfield won the Elite Division with a blazing fast speed of 9 minutes 31 seconds. The fastest woman climber was Cindy Harris of Indianapolis. She conquered the climb at 11 minutes 16 seconds.

The average climber tackles the 94 stories in just 23 to 26 minutes.

The media competition was won by Channel 7's John Garcia at 15 minutes six seconds. The fastest media team was NBC 5 led by team captain Mike Adamle. CBS 2 and The Loop radio also had competing teams.

More than half the climbers in this year's event reported a personal connection to lung disease. This is not surprising given that more than one million people in the Chicago area are affected with lung disease.

"Fundraising for lung disease research and programs is more critical than ever," says Joel Africk, President and CEO of Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago. "Lung disease is not in a recession. In this economy, we rely on events like Hustle Up the Hancock to help us continue our work in making our community a better place to breathe."

Complete event results are available at http://www.lungchicago.org

Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago (RHAMC) has been a local public health leader since 1906. Today the Association fights lung disease and promotes healthy lungs by supporting research, advocacy, and educational efforts on behalf of individuals and families affected by lung cancer, asthma, COPD (chronic bronchitis and emphysema), and other lung diseases. For more information, visit http://www.lungchicago.org.

Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago
http://www.lungchicago.org

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