Members of the Fall River Fire Department and twenty participants in the Fall River Fitness Challenge demonstrated their fitness at the Third Annual Peak The Plaza stair climbing event held at One Financial Plaza in Providence, RI on February 26, 2011. Hundreds of firefighters and others took part in the event to benefit lung disease and The American Lung Association of New England. Participants were challenged to climb 29 flights of stairs and were timed to see how quickly they could reach the top. "The worst part of the event was the poor air quality that you experienced in the final ten flights," commented Community Development Recreation Program Director who did the event for the first time. "The air was not only hotter, but it had less oxygen because of all of the runners. You could feel your lungs burning," he added. Organizers said the strain of climbing the stairs gave those who never have had lung trouble a sense of the difficulty that survivors of lung disease go through. Other participants included CD-REC director Grace Gerling, who came in second in her age category, and her Fall River firefighter husband, Lt. Dan Gerling, as well as Fitness Challenge personal trainer Amy Jones who took first place in her age category. The Fall River firefighter team also took first place for the third year in a row. Click here for the Herald News article. (Photos courtesy of Amy Jones)

(Top row, left and right) Personal Trainer Amy Jones of Where Is The Work-Out poses with Steve Desmarais, Jen Preston and Grace Gerling prior to the event. (Top row, center) Participants in the Fall River Fitness Challenge pose before the start of the event. (Middle row, left) Members of the Fall River Fire Department hold their first place medals as they pose for a photo with Grace Gerling and Amy Jones. (Middle row, right) Lt. Dan Gerling, Grace Gerling, Michelle Colberb, Maggie Smith, Jen Preston, Jamison Souza and Russell Delgiacco pose for a photo at McFadden's Sports Bar after the event. (Bottom row, left) Participants cool down after the climb. (Bottom row, right) Grace Gerling and John Belcher pose with Amy Jones.