More than 1,000 people are set to climb 38 flights of stairs Sunday to fight heart disease during the ClimbAmerica! Climbathon Fundraiser.
Brigham and Women’s ClimbCorps hosts the event where participants will gather at 9 a.m. take on the stairs in Boston’s 12th tallest building, Exchange Place, at 53 State Street.
The 40-story and approximately 1,200,000 square foot building is one of New England’s tallest buildings.
“Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women in the U.S., but many Americans are largely unaware of the significant threat that heart disease poses to their health,” said preventive cardiologist and director of ClimbCorps JoAnne Foody, “ClimbAmerica! is a great opportunity to spread awareness for heart disease prevention and raise funds that ultimately save lives through education, programming, and research.”
ClimbCorps is a service corps that was launched by Brigham and Women’s and focuses on leading an active lifestyle as preventative medicine against heart disease, according to a press release from ClimbCorps. The group promotes taking the stairs as an easy way for people to incorporate exercise in their daily lives.
Funds raised during the ClimbAmerica! help provide free programming on physical health, healthy eating and healthy lifestyle choices and supports life-saving research .