My goal was to race to the top of the 69 flights of stairs of the Columbia Center in Seattle in under 30 minutes. I made it to the top in a little over 19 minutes.

My legs burned, my head throbbed and I thought I might faint, but I made it and the view from the top was amazing. Standing at the top of the tallest skyscraper in downtown Seattle at 937 feet, the view of Bellevue’s skyline had never looked so good.

With 6,000 participants, this year marked the largest crowd ever for The Big Climb for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. All proceeds raised go towards LLS’ mission to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

The sold out event raised more than $1 million for blood cancer research.

Those participating had the choice of either running up the stairwell as a racer or walking as a climber. Two stairwells were used and both courses were 69 flights, 1,311 steps, and ended on the 73rd floor Observatory.

When I first arrived, the packed lobby was bustling with energy. Climbers had been hitting the stair wells from the early morning and around 3 p.m. there were still hundreds left to go. After signing in and collecting my race number, 1599, I pinned it on my shirt and began to nervously pace about. This had sounded like a good idea when my sister had first prompted me to sign up to race, but the little 10-year-old behind us in line made me think twice. It was his fourth year participating and when I asked how hard it was, he simply grunted. Not a good sign.

Still, here he was, ready to race once again. The cause far outweighing the temporary pain.

An estimated 138,530 people in the United States were diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma in 2008 and every 10 minutes, another child or adult is expected to die from leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma. Significant research into the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of leukemia are being performed every day.

Knowing that statistics on paper are more than just numbers but actual lives, 69 flights of stairs seemed like a small price to pay to help raise money for those who need it most.

At the starting line, my nerves began to get the best of me until a man addressed the 50 or so of us waiting to take off climbing. He was diagnosed with leukemia and was told he had six months to live. Now three-and-a-half years later, he stood before us thanking us for helping to raise funding for research of new medications and treatments which had kept him alive long enough to witness his youngest son’s high school graduation and his oldest boy’s wedding day.

His inspirational story kept me climbing even when I wanted to quit. The stairwell was small, hot, and stuffy. I was told beforehand to not look at the floor numbers as I climbed.

When I felt like my legs were going to give out I happened to glance up at the floor number only to see Floor 22. If it weren’t for the cheers of the others in the stairwell and the images of people living with leukemia plastered to the walls it would have been difficult to keep trucking on. I climbed for my grandfather who died of cancer and for my good friend who is fighting the disease today.

The youngest participant to race was one trimester and the oldest was 98 years old. Participant Henry Wigglesworth dedicated to break The Big Climb record and completed seven climbs in one day.

I barely made the one climb, but I made it and I would do it again in a heart beat. I’ll start training for next year as soon as the soreness subsides and I can actually walk again.

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.

To find out more information about The Big Climb visit http://www.llswa.org/site/PageNavigator/BC_homepage.