SUNY Potsdam Wilderness Education Students hold Second Stairs-A-Thon

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L to R: Alex Terry, Aaron Baker, Emily Jackson, Nick Monte, Cory Howitt, Julian Vadas, Ryan Arno, Justin Maggs, Kaleb Stores and Wilderness Education Coordinator Mark Simon on top of Raymond Hall.

POTSDAM, NY (04/27/2012)(readMedia)-- SUNY Potsdam Wilderness Education students held their second annual Stairs-a-Thon on Saturday, April 14 in Raymond Hall. In total, the 10 participants climbed eight stories 547 times. A rough estimate would put the total number of feet climbed at 43,760.

Students from the program's Leadership Two class hosted the Stairs-a-Thon as a culminating event to test their physical strength and raise funds for an upcoming 20-day expedition to the Pasayten Wilderness in Washington this August.

Students will be experiencing a diverse range of landscapes and ecosystems and expect to climb over 33,000 feet in elevation during the Pasayten expedition.

Many world-class athletes and mountaineers, including Mount Everest climbers, have used stair climbing as a training method. Not only does it improve physical fitness, allowing for longer and more strenuous trips, but it also prevents injury by preparing the body's muscles and tendons for the rigors of mountainous terrain.

Climbing stairs relates directly to hiking the terrain the students will encounter in the Pasayten Wilderness. The six students have been climbing stairs as part of their training since October of last year. Stair training entails going up and down the eight flights of stairs in Raymond Hall, wearing backpacks weighing roughly 40 pounds. Stair training has been a big part of the preparation for the Wilderness Education leadership courses in recent years.

For more information and to learn more about the SUNY Potsdam's Wilderness Education program of Education and Professional Studies, please visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/SOEPS/CommunityHealth/minorwildernesseducation.cfm.

You can also check out their blog at sunypotsdamwildernessed.tumblr.com.

Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts.

-www.potsdam.edu-