Australian musician Kelvin Smith is known for playing his piano in strange locations, under the name “A Piano of Tasmania,” which he founded five years ago. Smith will bring his piano all over Tasmania, to the most scenic and unusual places. He’ll even have it air-freighted in and out via helicopter if necessary. Over the weekend, Smith played his Albert Fahr piano at the top of Mount Wellington. But this time, he didn’t use a helicopter to get it up there—he pushed it.
Smith shoved his piano up the Mount Wellington half-marathon hill climb to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention. “It’s a vivid metaphor, we’re all pushing something uphill,” Smith told ABC News Australia. “Why not make it a piano so we can play it at the summit?”
It’s a 13-mile climb from the city of Hobart to the summit of Mount Wellington, with an elevation of 4,175 feet, making it one of the most challenging half-marathons on the planet. And Smith didn’t just have to walk or run it, he had to push a 530-pound piano all the way to the top. He started a day earlier than the other half-marathoners and set himself a goal of 21 hours so that he could finish before the first runner. That’s precisely what he did, beating them by four minutes.
You obviously can’t just push a piano up a hill without at least a little modification. They aren’t the most mobile of instruments. So, Smith had his Albert Fahr mounted to a pretty kick-ass dolly. In an interview with Australia’s Drive, he showed off the custom-built dolly made from 4mm aluminum, designed and built by Australian industrial manufacturer Richmond Rolling Solutions. Its 10-inch rubber tires featured anti-rotate brakes, to make sure it didn’t roll downhill. And I’m sure being able to just take a break and let the dolly’s brakes handle the weight for a little bit was a lifesaver.
Smith’s half-marathon, piano-pushing hill climb was six months in the making. He trained by pushing a brick-laden piano—which was almost 220 pounds heavier than his Albert Fahr—up an equivalent mountain road 10 times during that time. Thankfully, all of the hard work paid off, his plan went off without a hitch, and he played his piano at the summit for all in attendance.
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