“356, 357,” is what a breathless Nathan Lapinski counted a few days after he and fellow firefighter, Jake Sporna, climbed a combined total of 714 stairs. It was part of a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). Where the two had pledged to climb a story for every dollar donated with a total of $1,000 raised, which included additional donations.
Lapinski, who graduated from Superior High School two years ago, set up the challenge with a stairmaster in the lobby of Rosauers grocery store in Missoula on Feb. 24. They had a four-hour window at the store and didn’t get all the stairs completed and had to finish the task over the next couple of days.
Lapinski lives at the Missoula Rural Fire District Station in Missoula. He moved there after graduation and is a resident firefighter and EMT. He is in his last semester of fire rescue school offered through Helena College. With an associate degree, Lapinski is on his way to becoming a full-time firefighter. It’s a career path he chose after becoming a volunteer firefighter with the Superior department at age 16.