Hundreds of people scaled one of the tallest buildings in Minnesota to benefit those with lung disease on Saturday.

Inside Capella Tower in Minneapolis, hundreds of people climbed 53 flights of stairs as part of the “Fight For Air Climb” in support of those with lung disease.

One man detailed why the cause is near and dear to his heart.

“My family has a pretty extensive history with various chronic respiratory conditions — a lot of smoking in my family throughout history and it’s caught on,” said Paul Hinz.

People from all walks of life participated, including cancer survivors, friends and family and lots of firefighters in full gear.

KSTP’s Matt Bellanger was also emceeing and supporting the cause as he has been for many years.

The American Lung Association says more than 600,000 Minnesotans are living with chronic lung disease.

The goal is to raise awareness and funds to support the Lung Association’s efforts through research, education and advocacy.

The lung disease symptoms can be debilitating so climbing 53 flights of stairs will mimic those symptoms as people gasp for air and feel their heart rates rise.

Kelly Altman, a volunteer, spoke about how she’s helping climbers warm up before the big challenge.

“I think that a proper form is just standing upright, leading with your whole entire foot, letting your glutes and your quads and hamstrings all kind of work together. That’s probably going to be the best way. That’s my strategy to climb,” she said.

American Lung Association in Minnesota hopes to raise over $235,000 from the event.