TAMPA — It took almost three hours to the minute, but Joe Kals made it.

The man who set out to climb all 27 floors of the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina on Saturday accomplished the feat with the help of his family, his crutches and his mantra.

"I repeat to myself with each step, 'I am my legs,'" Kals, 57, a French national hoping to raise awareness for those living with severe spinal injuries, said at a news conference before the event. "To shine a light on something we have to elevate it. That's why I'm going to the top."

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Kals, who lives in Dunedin, said in the news conference he is hoping someone will sponsor him and his family so they can stay in the United States.

A crutch in his right hand, the stairwell railing in his left for much of the climb, Kals ascended the steps one at a time. His cousin captured nearly the entire climb on Facebook Live, offering words of encouragement to Kals from viewers around the world.

Kals paused a few times during the climb to give interviews to local press outlets gathered at his climb and to refuel with bananas and water. Around 6 p.m., Kals ascended the final few steps to the 27th floor of the Marriott.

He plans similar ascents Sept. 9 at an Orlando Marriott and Sept. 25 at a Marriott in Miami.

"We are not made to live sitting in a wheelchair," Kals said upon reaching the top Saturday. "That's my message."

Contact Kirby Wilson at kwilson@tampabay.com