A growing community of runners is raising hundreds of thousands in honor of their family and friends fighting lung disease.

Hundreds of climbers participate each year in the unique event, run by the American Lung Association. The goal is to climb up 42 flights of stairs inside the Metropolitan Square building in Downtown St. Louis.

Many of this year’s 500 participants have family or friends affected by lung disease, including Brittany Graham, who lost her mom to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis seven years ago. Now, she spends her own birthday weekend every year participating in the climb to honor her mom.

“It’s such a powerful thing to see people crying and laughing and celebrating their people,” Graham said. “You wish your mom could see you be at the top, and she’s not there, but knowing she’s somewhere there with you.”

The American Lung Association says the goal of the event is for participants to feel like they themselves have lung disease when they reach the top of the climb. Midwest regional board chair and volunteer Chris Scaglione says the event is becoming even more important with every passing year.

“Whether it’s lung cancer, asthma, COPD, there are so many different forms of lung disease that, these days, affect everyone,” Scaglione said. “Even if your family hasn’t been impacted, the importance of clean air has never been more important.”

ALA estimates it raised around $210,000 from Saturday morning’s climb, one of many similar events they host across the country every year.