SPRINGFIELD, Mo.- While it may be a few days past the anniversary, those at the Springfield Area Memorial Stair Climb explain why the event means so much over 21 years later.

Local firefighters and civilians climbed 110 stories worth of stairs at Missouri State University’s football stadium to remember lives lost. They climbed as many stairs as first responders did in New York did during one of the darkest days in American history. About 350 people participated on Saturday.

“Just taking each step and just doing what they had to do, I mean not even what they had to do because they had so much stress on that day and just thinking about how they probably knew at a certain point they weren’t going to make it, but they just went anyway,” said a local participant.

All registration fees and fundraising go toward the national fallen firefighter’s foundation to fund programs supporting families of fallen firefighters and counseling services.

“The steps are more than just a way to get from point a to point be…. with every step these climbers are going to experience and face you know exhaustion and fatigue. Just like those firefighters did on that day” said Adam Neff, the 9/11 climb event coordinator.

Last year climbers raised forty thousand dollars, and proceeds from this year’s event are still being collected and counted.