Run-Up Champions Return To New York in One Week
Posted January 30th, 2008 at 10:17 AM by David Monti
Section: News & Results
Defending champions Thomas Dold of Germany and Suzy Walsham of Australia will again be on the starting line of the unique NYRR Empire State Building Run-Up one week from today. It will be the 31st running of the world’s most famous stair climbing race, up 86 floors and 1576 steps of New York City’s highest skyscraper.
The 23 year-old Dold, an accomplished mountain runner from Germany, will be looking for his third consecutive victory. Prior to winning in 2006 and 2007, he finished in second place by less than a second to Rudolf Reitberger of Austria in the 2005 race. In that event the two men lunged for the finish line on the outdoor 86th floor observatory, both crashing to the concrete surface as a crush of photographers captured the moment.
“This year, I am even more motivated than in previous years, because by achieving the third victory at the Empire State Building Run-Up, I can become the most successful European tower runner ever,” Dold said through a press release distributed by the New York Road Runners, the New York-based not-for-profit which organizes the event. Dold trains regularly in the main tower of Helaba, a German bank in Frankfurt that is 200 meters high (1,090 steps).
Walsham, 34, is a former middle distance runner with a 1500m personal best of 4:07.78. She has only been contesting stair climbs since 2006, and actually won a trip to New York at a different race to compete in last year’s Run-Up where she was a surprise winner.
“I never expected to actually win the Empire State Building Run-Up in 2007,” said Walsham, who is training for this race by climbing stairs in her 12-story condo in Singapore. “I really enjoyed the physical and mental challenge of the event and racing in such a famous building.”
The event records are 9:33 for men (Paul Crake of Australia, 2003) and 11:23 for women (Andrea Mayr of Austria, 2006). The New York Road Runners expect a field of 250 competitors from 23 states and 17 countries to take part.
(c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission.
Photo: Thomas Dold defending his title at the 30th annual NYRR Empire State Building Run-Up (Courtesy of New York Road Runners)
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Tags: andrea mayr, australia, empire state building, Empire State Building Run Up, frankfurt, german bank, Germany, helaba, New York City, new york city skyscraper, new york road runners, nyrr, nyrr empire state building run up, Paul Crake, race, Rudolf Reitberger, skyscraper, suzy dold, thomas walsham
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