About the Event

What is Step Up?

The Step Up Challenge is a great way to challenge yourself physically and has 4 event locations: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto.

Stair climbing is a great sport that improves the fitness level of each participant and burns more calories than walking or running. However, just because it is a challenge, doesn't mean that you can't do it. From experienced athletes to first time stair climbers, the Step Up Challenge is a challenge that everyone can meet! Like with any athletic activity, you need to find the elements that work for you. 

It's a great way to bring people together to work toward a common goal. Once you register, you will have access to terrific tools to help you have a great team experience. 

A minimum pledge requirement will help to raise much needed funds for prostate cancer research. Prostate Cancer Canada is the leading national foundation dedicated to the elimination of the disease through research, advocacy, education, support and awareness.”

Benefits of Stair Climbing

Stair climbing is a total body workout and burns about twice as many calories than any other sport or activity. Because of its intensity, stair climbing requires less time to do the same intensity of a longer workout. For example, if you run 30 minutes per day, the same workout intensity could be achieved with 15 minutes of stair climbing. 

It makes the arms stronger with the use of the arms pulling you up with the use of the rails (or banister) which is allowed and encouraged. Stair climbing especially builds muscle mass in the legs, including the quadriceps and calves. It is an aerobic sport as it works the cardio-vascular lung package. Stair climbing becomes an anaerobic event after about 10 to 20 flights of stairs as it strains your aerobic capacity to hold an intense load on the cardio-vascular package to the top of a very tall building. Since the contest is vertical, even a 70 story race up is not a total sprint and requires endurance, sprint, and muscular strength to complete in a fast time. 

Stair climbing is excellent for cross-training. Runners, swimmers, cyclists, rowers, soccer (or football), and others find stair climbing to be helpful with its total workout. Cyclists, skiers, and rowers are especially attracted to the muscle mass in the legs which can be developed with stair climbing.

Where Your Donations Go

2019 marks Prostate Cancer Canada’s 25th anniversary! With you and so many partners, we’ve contributed to the 50 per cent decrease in prostate cancer mortality in Canada in 25 years. Together, we really are making a difference in the lives of Canadians.

Proceeds from Calgary’s Step Up Challenge support Dr. Tarek Bismar’s team at the University of Calgary. They are using blood samples from men with slow-growing prostate cancer that has not spread outside the prostate to determine if their disease is likely to advance. Learn more about this project that could offer peace of mind to some men, allowing them to have fewer biopsies, and avoid unnecessary treatments that can have life-changing side effects.

Proceeds from Edmonton’s Step Up Challenge support Dr. Kerry Courneya’s team at the University of Alberta, which is looking at whether exercise can reduce tumour growth and anxiety for men on active surveillance. Learn more about this project that could contribute to delaying, or even eliminating, the need for treatment.

Proceeds from these Step Up Challenges are invested in research focused on early detection, treatment, and survivorship. It also helps us produce valuable support resources and services for men, caregivers, and family members.

Together, we really are making a difference in the lives of Canadians.

Do you have more questions?

Email info@stepupfordads.ca

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Thank you to our generous sponsors: