Sandpoint, ID – At the “24 Hours of Schweitzer” fundraiser held this past Friday and Saturday at Idaho’s Schweitzer ski resort, nearly 130 skiers and snowboarders displayed heroic efforts in spite of stormy weather that caused the first delay in the ski relay’s four-year history.
Participants ages five to 74 from Sandpoint, Spokane, Ellensburg, Issaquah and around the region, and as far away as California, Colorado, Oregon and New York took to the slopes with a mission to complete the most runs possible in 24 hours straight. Mother Nature, however, had plans of her own. Gusty winds and pounding rain closed most of Schweitzer Mountain Resort for the day on Friday and caused a seven and a half-hour delay before participants’ runs were officially counted.
Once counting was underway, skiers and boarders made up for lost time, logging an impressive 7,774 runs or 7,064,310 million vertical feet in just 16 ½ hours. The all-day, all-night ski event concluded with an auction dinner/awards party attended by 375 people, with many dressed in costume to celebrate the event’s “Hank’s Heroes: Mission Possible” super-hero theme. In all, a record $150,000 was raised at one of the top cystinosis fundraisers in the country, bringing the 24 Hours for Hank Foundation’s fundraising total to more than $450,000 in just three-and-a-half years. The fourth-annual event was held in honor of five-year-old Hank Sturgis of Sandpoint, who has the rare, fatal disease cystinosis that affects only 500 people nationwide.
This year’s race was down to the wire, with three-time defending champion Matt Gillis sealing his fourth victory after narrowly edging Eric Jensen to finish with 143 runs. Gillis also individually raised a record $33,000, earning repeat honors as the event’s top fundraiser and doubling his personal fundraising total from last year’s event.
In the four-person team category, Team “Hank E Panky” took first place with 501 runs, while Team “Fill the Bank for Hank” placed second with 480 runs. Team “Blue Eyed Bombers” logged 381 runs to earn first-place honors for the second year in the three-person team category. Finan Lund, age 12 of Sandpoint, was the top finisher of kids 12 and under with 126 runs, and Sam Timmons, age 8 of Denver, Colo., was the top youth fundraiser with $5,223 in pledges. Other standouts included Slate Fragoso, age 7 of Sandpoint, who logged 71 runs and raised $3,544, and Crosby Schmidt, age 5 of Sandpoint, who raised $ 2,425 and completed 43 official runs.
Reporters Mark Peterson, Kris Crocker and Robyn Nance from KXLY-TV in Spokane gave new meaning to the term “media mogul” after carving 40 runs down the mountain and raising more than $2,000 toward the cause. Other participants included 17-year-old Paul Flerchinger of Spokane Valley, who skied in honor of his 8-year-old cousin Tina Flerchinger of Lewistown, Idaho, who also suffers from cystinosis. Paul’s three-man team from Gonzaga Prep completed 268 runs.
Although runs weren’t counted on the official intermediate course until 4 p.m., nearly all participants skied over half the day on smaller slopes amid driving rain and wind, with some never venturing inside. The weather didn’t dampen participants’ enthusiasm or creativity, with many practicing synchronized skiing, playing tag on skis, and skiing backwards to keep motivated throughout the day.
“We were continually amazed at the incredible endurance, dedication and spirit demonstrated day and night throughout the event, in spite of the very challenging weather conditions. Every participant is a super hero in our book,” said Brian Sturgis, Hank’s dad and one of the event organizers. “We are more determined than ever in our fight against cystinosis, and thank everyone – participants, donors, volunteers, sponsors, supporters, local businesses, Schweitzer Mountain Resort and its employees, and our family and friends – for helping us move closer to a cure in the race against this devastating disease.”
Nearly 150 businesses and individuals from Sandpoint and around the region contributed to the auction dinner and awards party, including more than 125 live and silent auction items and prizes donated for the event. A Denver Broncos jersey autographed by football star Tim Tebow was the top item up for bid after fetching $2,000.
The event benefits 24 Hours for Hank, a Sandpoint foundation established to raise money for cystinosis research and treatment. Funds raised locally are contributed to the national Cystinosis Research Foundation to help find a cure for this extremely rare, genetic disease that slowly destroys every organ in the body including the kidneys, liver, eyes, muscles, thyroid and brain.