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October 5, 2002 CLIMBER TO RAINER:  "I'LL BE BACK" Elaine Gale WILD ABOUT: CLIMBING Although Mary Figge didn't make it to the 14,410-foot summit of Mount Rainier after almost half a year of training, she's not done with the mountain yet.

About 3,000 feet shy of the summit, the 39-year-old Tucsonan was told to stop by organizers of the climb after her ankles and feet suffered from what's called "boot bang," a rash and swelling from what turned out to be ill-fitting rental boots. "They had to wrap my ankles to get me down," said Figge, on her cell phone at the Seattle airport after the recent climb. "They still hurt. I can't even tie my shoes. They're big and swollen. I'm sure I'll lose a few toenails - but that happens." She didn't end up losing a toenail, although two are still black and blue. Another had a blister that formed underneath the nail, which had to be drilled to relieve the pressure at an emergency room when she returned to Tucson. A first-time climber, Figge signed up for the two-day climb, sponsored by Shape magazine in late August, after recruiting her 43-year-old sister, Cathy Bell, of Montana to join her on the mountain. The climb cost $756 per person, plus the cost of rental gear and airfare to Seattle. The sisters stuck together during their training routines, calling each other at least three times a week to complain about aching muscles and sore joints. Although they were assigned to different rope teams, they didn't separate during the climb, and both decided to turn back at 11,200 feet. In one day, they had climbed from 5,400 feet to 10,030 feet. At that altitude, the climbers stopped to have a dinner of freeze-dried food and slept for four hours before starting to hike again in the dark, guided by the moonlight and their headlamps. That night, Figge got to 11,200 feet before deciding to turn back. "They say if you aren't 100 percent every time you stop, it's better if you don't go on," said the mother of five children. "Then you become a liability instead of an asset for your rope team." Although she's always been fairly fit, Figge said, she has had to overcome some significant health challenges in the last year or so, including back surgery in February 2001 for a ruptured disk. Figge's workouts, led by personal trainer Ron Holland, owner of S.W.A.T . (Strength Wellness Athletic Training), included push-ups, lunges, squats and fast walking for 30 to 45 minutes on a treadmill at a steep incline with a 40-pound pack strapped to her back. "She's strong," said Holland, who carefully watched her routine. "She's very agile and focused, and she has good mental muscle, too." Besides strengthening her back and whittling her body fat down to a lean 15 percent, Figge also did some psychological preparation. Although she didn't make the summit, Figge said she's glad she didn't push it. And she's planning to go back to climb it again next June. "The summit is not the goal," said Figge, noting that 10 of the 24 women on the climb went all the way to the top. "It's being safe and living the experience. The mountain will always be there." ///// Mary Figge Climbed to 11,200 feet on Mount Rainier last month with a group of 24 women in an event organized by Shape magazine Mother of five children She used to run a pottery studio I'm really proud I could set a goal this big and do it. I have never set a goal so far away and stuck to it.