Health and education at forefront of Oxnard’s Tower 2 Tower Stair Climb Race June 4, 2016

An estimated 650 people from seven states are expected to participate in this year’s fourth annual Tower 2 Tower Stair Climb Race presented by the Oxnard Fire Explorer Post 9244 and Oxnard Kiwanas Club. The event will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 4, 2016, at 500 E. Esplanade Dr.

Participants will race up and down the 14-story City National Bank tower and complete a series of optional obstacle courses before dashing through 22 flights of stairs at the Morgan Stanley tower for the finish. Proceeds from the race will go toward the Oxnard Youth Fire Explorers Program. Online registration is available through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, June 2, at www.active.com/oxnard-ca/races/tower-2-tower-2016. The public can also register at the event.

For some, the race means maintaining an active lifestyle to improve their quality of life. For others, it means a chance at the first step toward a career in fire service.

This year marks two decades of stair-climbing for 73-year-old George Burnham who is traveling from Arizona to participate in the challenge. Burnham stair climbs to stay fit and control his asthma symptoms, and he travels all over the country to compete in challenges. This year’s Tower 2 Tower event will be Burnham’s 184th stair climb and his second year competing in Oxnard. “Stair-climbing is my biggest hobby, and it’s also good exercise,” said Burnham. “I look forward to doing it and meeting some of the other climbers I know who will be there,” he said.

George Burnham at Oxnard’s 2015 Tower 2 Tower Stair Climb Race

For former explorer Eli Barnes, the race meant a sponsored opportunity to attend the Oxnard Youth Fire Explorers Program through 2013 to gain firsthand firefighting experience that has contributed to his professional success. Today 23-year-old Barnes is a full-time firefighter for the City of Oxnard, and one of many former youth explorers who have gone on to become first responders serving communities across the state and country. “I received top-notch, hands-on training from professional firefighters, which included the opportunity to respond to 9-1-1 calls during ride-alongs,” said Barnes. “The explorer program was a pivotal reason for me achieving my ultimate goal of becoming a firefighter.”

Oxnard Firefighter Eli Barnes

Visit the Tower 2 Tower Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Tower2TowerStairClimbOxnard for the latest event updates. Read about the explorers program at http://fire.oxnard.org/resources/fire-explorer-post-9244.

The City of Oxnard is a full-service general law city incorporated in 1903. Oxnard is the largest and most populous city in the County of Ventura, serving 200,000 culturally diverse residents. Read more about the City of Oxnard at www.cityofoxnard.org. Follow us on social media at www.twitter.com/CityofOxnard (@CityofOxnard), www.facebook.com/OxnardNews and www.vimeo.com/CityofOxnard.

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