Costco Connection - June 2012

special,” he was hooked, having discovered an extreme sport he previously knew little about.

When he entered the Big Climb the following year, Glassey had educated himself on stair racing strategy and techniques. He shaved more than three minutes off his time, finishing in 9 minutes and 18 seconds and placing 21st overall among more than 3,000 entrants. He now competes about a dozen times a year, connecting with his “tower running family” at venues such as the US Bank Tower in Los Angeles, John Hancock Center in Chicago and Stratosphere in Las Vegas.

“Tower runners have this bond because
it truly is the most intense sport on the
planet,” says Glassey, who points out that tri-
athletes and professional athletes typically
finish as also-rans in races up tower stair-
wells. “There is nothing harder than tower
running. It is nothing like what you have ever
felt with your heart, lungs and muscles. At
floor 20, you are at maximal heart rate, and
you have to keep it there all the way to the
top. There is no other sport that demands
five minutes of maximal heart rate.”
In a sport that offers intense mental as
well as physical challenges, older racers such
as Glassey compete on an equal footing with
runners half their age.

“Any time you get to the top of a building,

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37

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the top 10 guys are in amazing shape,” he said.
“That is a given, but the guy who won isn’t
necessarily in the best shape. He has the
strongest mind. He is able to tolerate more
pain and more fatigue.”
While that may not sound like a pre-
scription for fun, tower runners are sold on
their sport as the ultimate total body work-
out. It builds strong legs and arms—using the
handrail to propel you up the stairs is essen-
tial when competing in tower runs—and
becomes an anaerobic exercise after about 10
to 20 flights of stairs.

Kristin Frey, the world’s No. 1-ranked female stair climber, began stair climbing in 2010 as a way to vary her workout routine and recover from a groin injury suffered while training for a marathon. Taking one step at a time is key to success.

“Don’t try to climb a record number of stairs the first day,” advises Frey, 28, of Schaumburg, Illinois. “Stairs have a different feeling than any other sport. They get your heart rate up and get you breathing heavy. That’s completely normal. After a tough climb, your legs might feel a bit wobbly, but that’s totally normal too.” C

Andrea Downing Peck is a freelance writer on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

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