Honors 9/11, Raises Funds for Cancer Research and Folds of Honor with Every Step
[New York, NY – June 1, 2025] – Jim Wigginton made history today as the first person to climb the tallest building in every U.S. state, completing his 50-state challenge at the Tunnel to Towers (T2T) Climb inside One World Trade Center in New York City.
On June 1, 2025, at 5:00 a.m. ET, Wigginton will ascend the 104 floors and 2,226 steps of the Freedom Tower—finishing a three-year pursuit that combined his passion for extreme physical feats with an unshakable commitment to purpose. With this final climb, Wigginton adds his ninth world record and dedicates the achievement to two causes close to his heart: fighting cancer and supporting the families of fallen military and first responders.
“You do something big enough, and people will ask why,” said Wigginton. “Then you get to tell them.”
For Jim, the “why” is personal. He lost his wife Nancy to thyroid cancer in 2013 after 46 years of marriage. In her honor, he launched the Punya Thyroid Cancer Foundation and has helped raise $6 million of a $10 million goal to help researchers extend the lives of Stage 4 thyroid cancer patients. That research—led by Drs. Megan Haymart and Frank Worden at the University of Michigan—has now helped more than 5,000 stage 4 thyroid cancer patients live five times longer than previously expected, and with a correspondingly higher quality of life.
He also climbs to raise awareness and support for Folds of Honor, an organization that provides scholarships to the spouses and children of fallen or disabled service members, and first responders. That mission is personal too: Wigginton was part of the first Red Cross team deployed to Ground Zero after 9/11.
“To finish this journey where so many heroes made the ultimate sacrifice—there’s no more meaningful place,” Wigginton said.
Though not a runner by trade, Wigginton holds the world record for fastest time to climb or descend 1 million stairs, and has made a name for himself scaling skyscrapers—often taking 15-hour travel days for a five-minute climb. He has a photo in front of every building he’s climbed in all 50 states, culminating with his final climb in the Freedom Tower.
His past records include:
• Highest Tandem Skydive – 42,018 feet (2024), 37,417 feet (2019)
• First to Skydive from 7 Miles High and Dive to the deepest part of Challenger Deep(2020)
• Fastest to Skydive Six Continents – Triple 7 Expedition (2023)
• Fastest to Skydive All Seven Continents – Triple 7 Expedition (2023, (2019)
• Fastest Time to Climb/Descend One Million Stairs (2020)
• Now: First to Climb Tallest Building in All 50 States
Jim Wigginton, who turned 76 this year, is a Kentucky country boy, and Vietnam era Marine, and now lives in Belleville, Michigan. Even with a current leg injury, he’s committed to finishing what he started—with resilience, grit, and grace.