Dallas!
As kid, I’d envision J. R. Ewing* wearing his white ten
gallon hat with the “Dallas” theme song playing in the background. I’ve never
actually watched an episode of the TV show despite it being a television staple
of the 1980s (I was more of a MacGyver fan).
*Played by Larry Hagman from “I Dream of Jeannie”.
Dallas!
As an stair climber, I now picture the 560 foot tall Reunion
Tower – home of the Dallas Vertical Mile, one of the best climbs in the country.
As the name suggests, the race is a full vertical mile and
you need to climb the stairwell 12 times to reach a mile (as the stairwell is
“merely” 470 feet tall) within a 2.5 hour time limit.
The venue also hosts three other races: The Half (6 climbs),
the Quarter (3 climbs) and the Vertical Sprint (1 climb).
This year the races were spaced across two days - giving athletes
a shot at two (or more) events without being too fatigued. Saturday featured
the Half and Sprint while the Mile and Quarter were on Sunday.
I chose to climb in the two most competitive races – the
full Vertical Mile (which requires the most endurance) and the Vertical Sprint (which
requires the most speed). As they were on separate days I figured I could go
all out on Saturday’s Sprint and still have a full tank to compete in the Mile
on Sunday.
This would be my 2nd year racing the event so I already had
a good idea of what to expect.
I never formally blogged about my experience in 2018, so let’s
start off with a short recap:
In 2018, the race was held on a single day with all four
events (sprint, quarter, half, and full mile) happening either simultaneously
or back to back.
My goal for the vertical mile was to break the hour barrier
which was essentially the winning time from 2017. That meant I’d have to do
each lap in just under 5 minutes. However, since Terry Purcell (one of the most
decorated stair climbers ever) was attending the race, I figured I’d need to
shoot for 4:50 laps in order to have a chance at winning.
I had a chance to preview the stairwell the day before so
knew that a pace of 95 bpm would get me in that range.
At the start line, I let most of the other top guys climb
ahead of me. They were planning to sprint the first lap since the first lap of
the mile also counted toward the Vertical Sprint race. However, since the Vertical
Mile was considered the “premiere” race (with the most points on the US circuit
on tap) I chose to climb conservatively – hoping that my rivals would
over-exert themselves.
It didn’t quite work the way I had
planned. Although my first lap was on target (4:52) my rivals all had *much* faster times. Terry set a new course record with a 3:58 which meant that I’d
need to overcome a deficit of nearly a minute.
After the first set of climbs, my
times were in the low 4:50s to mid 4:40s. When I learned that Terry was keeping
low 4:40s to upper 4:30s I had already completed ~5 laps. At that point I knew
the race for 1st place was essentially over. I was already becoming
fatigued and in order to catch Terry, I’d need to make up ~90 seconds. Assuming
that Terry would continue pulling 4:40s, I’d need to pull 4:20s for the
remainder of the race. That would be a tall order even if I were on fresh legs!
I climbed a little bit faster
during the 2nd half of the race. I knew I couldn’t catch Terry, but
I at least wanted to stop bleeding time. Plus, I had to pull ahead of my other
rivals.
Things nearly fell apart on my 11th
lap when my left calf seized up. I was painful, but fortunately I was near the
top. I managed to finish the lap using my arms and my one good leg. However now
my 12th lap was in serious jeopardy. I was on knifes edge of either
2nd place… or DNF.
I spent my remaining time massaging and stretching my calf.
I also downed a bottle of pickle juice (thanks Scott) to relieve some of the
cramping. It worked. With two minutes to spare, I climbed my fastest lap of the
day with a solid 4:29. My calf hurt, but it never seized up completely.
Rather than a DNF, I came in 2nd overall. I was
pleased. This was my first time completing a true endurance race and at the
very least, I showed I can compete at any distance. The only disappointment
came many months after the race when I learned that the TWA awarded points for the sprint race rather
than the more competitive Vertical Mile*. I suddenly wished I hadn’t bagged the
first lap…
*There are two different ranking systems. TowerRunning USA
solely for US races and the TowerRunning World Association which ranks races
across the globe. The former offered points for the Vertical Mile, but the
latter strangely gave points for only the sprint.
Fast forward to 2019.
A week before the race, I learned that Terry wouldn’t be racing
since he was injured. He’s beaten me consistently throughout 2018 so I was
saddened I wouldn’t have another shot at going head to head. On the other hand,
I wouldn’t have so much pressure on my shoulders. This bears a little
explanation: You might think that being the #1 seed is more stressful than
being the underdog. Well, in my case it is just the opposite. I always feel
intimidated by faster rivals and I prefer the freedom of climbing at my own
pace. I hate feeling the need to keep up to my rivals.
That said, the field was still deep. During Saturday’s sprint,
my main rivals were going to be Jason Larson and Harrison Kieffer who both went
under an hour at last year’s race (they were 3rd and 4th
respectively). Joining us on Sunday would be Mark Henderson and Martin
Pederson. I’ve only raced against Mark at the Sears and LaSalle double header.
I beat him by about 30 seconds in the main event (Sears) but he came back and
beat me an hour later at LaSalle (I was exhausted!). That meant he either raced
conservatively at Sears… or he’s able to
recover quickly. In either case, it meant he was dangerous in long lap races
like the Vertical Mile. Martin was the dark horse. He travels
around for races (he’s Danish) and he’s built for endurance. If anybody else
was going to break an hour in the mile, I’d place my money on Marin.
The trip to Dallas was uneventful and I arrived at my hotel
just before 8:00 PM. I spent the next couple hours hanging out with my roommate (Josh
Jacket editor of StairLife) before hitting the hay.
The Sprint was scheduled to start at 8:30 AM so that meant I
had to get up by 7:15 in order to have enough time to get ready, walk to the
tower and warm up. Everything went smoothly, except that I spent too much time
chatting with other climbers and only completed a couple rounds of burpees
before heading to the start line. No matter -
I was ready.
And then things nearly fell apart.
I was just about to jump into the stairwell when Lonnie (the
head timer) told me I had the wrong bib…
What? You’ve got to be kidding me!?!
Apparently, I was given tomorrow’s Vertical Mile bib rather
than today’s Vertical Sprint! I ran upstairs to the registration table and cut
to the front of the line. It took but a moment to switch bibs and
I dashed back to the start line. Fortunately, they had waited for me! With
nervous fingers I pinned on my new bib and entered the stairwell. At least my warm up was complete!
I had one goal for the Sprint: Beat the course record of
3:58.
During my last race, I climbed Milwaukee’s US Bank Center in roughly 5 minutes using a
pace of 112 BPM on my metronome. It is a good comparison because both buildings
have 7 inch steps. However, this course was a bit shorter and I anticipated
finishing in just under 4 minutes. With that in mind, I chose to use a slightly
faster pace of 117 BPM.
It took a few flights to get into a steady rhythm. The pace
seemed almost too easy and I fought the urge to accelerate. I’ve raced enough
to know that it’s never a good idea to go out too fast and fade later. In the rare instance
you do go out too slow, you can still accelerate
in the latter half to make up lost time.
Sure enough, right around the minute mark I felt the strain
of the pace.
Right around the half-way point there was a Gatorade stand.
I tried glancing at my watch but it was too dark in the stairwell. By now, I
was way over the red line. I could keep the pace up for a little while longer
but could I hold it until the end? Or would I fade?
I checked my watch again when I approached better lighting.
2:30. Less than 90 seconds left to climb!.
The last minute was the hardest. In my periphery vision I
noticed volunteers cheering in the stairwell. I was so focused on the hand
rails and navigating the turns that I couldn’t spare a glance in their direction.
However, I did recognize a few friends through the sound of their voices
(Sue, Paul, etc.) and their words of encouragement kept me going.
My lungs were on fire, but I knew the top couldn’t be far. I
accelerated. That record was going to be mine, dammit; even if it killed me!
 |
| The purpose of this photo is to show the "fancy" steps. I don't actually know this girl (but she's cute, right?) |
I got to the top of the first flight and stopped. The
stairwell continued upwards, but it was blocked by a stack of electronic
equipment. There was a single guy in the stairwell looking directly at me. As I
contemplated jumping over the equipment, I frantically asked “Where’s the
finish line?!?”. “Right there.” he said, pointing to the open doorway to my
left.
I nearly smacked my head it was so obvious.
I jumped out of the stairwell as my stopwatch passed 3:48.
Despite losing a few seconds to sheer stupidity, I still
shattered the previous course record by a solid 10 seconds! YES!
I was tired, but not collapse-on-the-ground tired. By the
time some of my other rivals had arrived, I had recovered enough to able to
grab a cup of Gatorade without help.
 |
| Tired |
 |
| Less Tired |
I hung on the observation deck for a good while to chat with other climbers and pick up my fancy finisher’s medal. Paul (the race director) really out did himself this time. The medal is essentially a flattened torus holding a colorful spinning medallion in its hollow center – kind of like a gyroscope.
I then learned my official time was actually 3:43 since timing mat was as the top of the stairwell, not at the
stairwell exit. My moment of stupidity hadn’t cost me any time after all! Bonus!
As I recovered, I felt fortunate that today wasn’t the Vertical Mile (with another 11 more laps to go). I wasn’t completely drained…
but I doubted I could put together a string of sub-5 minute climbs within the next couple hours.
Race Grades:
Effort: A-; Although I was above the red line
for most of the race, I wasn’t dying on the floor afterwards (which isn’t an
entirely bad thing).
Weight: B; I was
around 172 but I need to be sub-170 to be truly competitive.
Conditioning: B+; Training has been a mixed bag. My
speed has been top notch, but I’ve had trouble completing my key workouts.
Pacing &
Technique: A; Pacing was spot
on. I could have hugged the turns a little tighter and had better foot
placement, but it’s hard to be perfect!
Overall: A-; I
honestly think the record is still a little soft, but overall I’ve gotta be
pleased!
Immediately after the awards ceremony*, I had an overly big breakfast
(ham, eggs & pancakes) at Cindi’s NY Deli & Diner with a bunch of my climbing
friends. Although my energy levels were back to normal, I was developing a
headache at the rear of my head - right where my neck meets the skull. Also, my
lungs were pretty raw and I developed a mild case of climbers cough.
*I took 1st overall and our Tower Master’s team
came in 2nd in the team event.
After breakfast, a smaller group of us took he courtesy
shuttle to Whole Foods to pick up some grub. I picked up a salad for dinner as
well as some snacks for the trip home and energy bars for tomorrow’s race. Josh
and I walked back to burn off some of the excess calories from breakfast.
Despite being fully hydrated, my headache was getting worse,
so I took a nap for an hour. I woke up feeling rested, but my headache
persisted. At least it wasn’t getting worse. Fortunately, I felt good enough to
grab dinner (pizza) with a large group of climbing friends. This time, I didn’t
overeat!
Lights out came around 10:00 PM. My head was still hurting
and my lungs were tired from coughing. I needed a good night’s sleep.
I woke up just before 5:00 AM. My throbbing headache had
disappeared although the back of my neck/skull was sore to the touch. My lungs
felt okay, but not 100%. Phlegm had settled in during the night and it took a
couple coughing fits to get everything out.
The race would be starting at 6:00 AM sharp. This time
around I received my proper bib. Unlike yesterday, the check-in was outside
(read: cold) but we were still able to put our racing gear indoors.
My goal was to win the race and my stretch goal was to beat
the course record (55:36). To do that, I’d need average splits of 4:37.
Considering that last year was tiring and my average splits were a mere 4:47, I
knew that climbing ten seconds faster would be extremely taxing. Certainly within
the realm of possibility… but frankly I didn’t give myself great odds*.
*As Llyod once said: "So you’re telling me… there’s a chance? Yeah!!"
Fortunately I had prepared for this: I set my metronome a
couple beats faster than last year (97 BPM) and I plotted down my nutrition
plan in my journal:
- Salt pills after laps 4
& 8 to alleviate cramping.
- Energy gels after laps 3,
6 and 9.
- A small bite from my energy bar (maple & sea salt) if I
wasn’t scheduled for an energy gel.
- Gatorade after each lap to
stay hydrated.
Last year I had climbed in sneakers because the race was so
long. This time around, however, I switched to my lightweight racing flats. If
my feet started hurting, I could always switch footwear.
Finally, I kept a pen handy in order to jot down my splits
in my journal after each lap.
This time around I had a much more relaxed warm-up. The pace
for at least the first few laps shouldn’t be too taxing so the warmup wasn’t quite
as important as it was for yesterday’s sprint.
At 6:00 AM sharp, I entered the stairwell (with no last
minute bib switching!).
Lap #1 (4:43)
I reached the top and exited the stairwell (this time around
I remembered the location!). I stopped my watch at 4:43. This might seem slower
than my goal pace of 4:37, but considering that this stairwell has an extra floor compared with the other
stairwell – remember we’d be completing the remaining 11 climbs in the 2nd
shorter stairwell – a 4:43 was nearly perfect.
I was tired but still able to walk around. As I rested, I
sipped on a cup of Gatorade and waited for some of my other climbing friends to
arrive. I didn’t need to hurry downstairs as I had roughly 8 minutes before I
needed to start my next climb. My plan was to enter the stairwell once every 13
minutes in order to start my 12th lap within the 2.5 hour time
limit*.
*Theoretically, I could start each lap at 13:37, but a 13:00
flat was easier to remember and would provide a decent cushion “just in case
shit happened”.
I took the elevator down with a few minutes to spare. While
downstairs, I jotted down my time, ate a bite of my energy bar and finished the
rest of my Gatorade. At the 13 minute mark I headed back into the other stairwell
for lap #2…
Laps #2 & #3
(4:40?, 4:37)
I got into a good rhythm for the next couple laps. On lap
#2, I didn’t start my stop watch properly but considering I was using my
metronome, I figured my lap time was at most 4:40 so that’s what I jot down.
The stairwell was clear for lap #2, but I passed several climbers still on
their 1st lap in the other
stairwell*. As more climbers finished the first lap and were into their 2nd,
I ran into a little more traffic on my 3rd. Fortunately, I didn’t
run into any bottle necks and I finished lap #3 in a solid 4:37.
*Stairwells #1 & #2 are intertwined like a double helix;
they share the same space but are still separate.
While resting downstairs after my 3rd lap, they
posted some of the intermediate results. Mark was in 1st place, and
I was tied with Harrison for 2nd place with Jason mere seconds
behind.
Crap. All four of us were on record setting pace.
Furthermore, my lungs were aching; I obviously hadn’t fully recovered from
yesterday’s sprint. This could turn out to be a dog fight.
Laps #4, #5 & #6
(4:36, 4:38, 4: 37)
I didn’t panic. My lungs hurt, but it didn’t seem to be
hindering my oxygen uptake. I was surely getting tired but then again I was
climbing relatively fast. The pace had to be taking a toll on my rivals, too.
If needed, I could *perhaps* find another gear but I didn’t want to use
it until the latter half of the race. Gotta keep the powder dry*.
*As Sproule once famously remarked.
By now the stairwell was getting fairly crowded. The good
thing about 13 minute laps is you can afford to choose when to enter the
stairwell. I had enough buffer to wait until 13:30, but if needed I could get
in at 12:30. To be honest the extra 30 seconds of rest had negligible impact to
my recovery. The trick was to find a lull in the crowd. This normally meant
waiting until a slug of people came up out of the elevator and hop in line
right before their arrival.
As such, the first minute of climbing was usually pretty
clear, but invariably I’d catch up to small clusters of people. I’d recognize
climbers here and there (sometimes with words of encouragement if it was early enough
in the climb) and most were happy to move out of the way. Once in a while,
however, I’d run into folks who simply wouldn’t budge. I’d usually say
something like “passing” or “coming up”, but when folks don’t get out of the
way, I’d take the inside lane and physically move them aside. I feel slightly
bad about it, but I wasn’t about to lose time because of slower climbers.
Perhaps next year I’ll offer to make speech about climbing etiquette. I’d hate
to ruin a newbie’s climbing experience. I’m sure they just don’t know any
better.
My pace was right on target for the most part and there was
a point during my 5th lap where I experienced a (somewhat short
lived) 2nd wind in the latter half of the tower. However by the time
I had finished my 6th lap, I was definitely starting to tire.
 |
| Preparing for yet another brutal lap... |
Laps #7, #8 & #9
(4:38, 4:37, 4:37)
The race was over halfway complete! The ache in my lungs had
thankfully disappeared, but I was steadily becoming fatigued. In the first half
of the race, I didn’t really feel the pace until well into the 2nd
half of each lap. But now I was struggling in the 30s… and then in the 20s… and
by the time I hit the 9th lap,
I felt like crap as early as the 18th flight.
I could still keep up the pace, but it was becoming more and
more of a mental challenge the further I progressed into the race. I also
noticed that my recovery at the top of the tower was taking longer and longer.
By now I was solidly in 1st place. Mark faded
after his 3rd lap and although Jason and Harrison were still going
strong, they were averaging about 10 seconds slower per climb (they were in a
real dogfight for 2nd place).
Laps #10 & #11
(4:35, 4:28)
I finished my last energy gel*l prior to entering lap #10. I
was definitely tired, but I was still close to the record. No time to let up.
*Chocolate is my favorite and I saved it specifically for
lap #10. On the other hand, Citrus and Raz (whatever that is) both kinda suck.
Several climbers had already completed all 12 laps (e.g.
Josh & Martin) and it was kind of demoralizing knowing that I still had 25%
left to climb.
Lap #10 was slightly worse than #9. I felt crappier earlier
in the tower and my recovery was longer and more painful. But knowing I was
closing in on the record helped me over the hump.
Once downstairs, I looked at the times in my notebook and
compared them with the times shown online. My journal showed me climbing just
under record setting pace, but I found a couple discrepancies in the published
results which showed me going a bit slower on a couple of my laps. That meant I
had little to no buffer and my next couple climbs needed to be fast ones.
I bumped up my metronome from 97 to 98 BPM on lap #11 for
insurance.
Honestly, it wasn’t noticeably harder, but it was draining
nonetheless. Midway up I could feel my left calf starting to tighten up. Crap.
Not now! Fortunately it never completely seized, even when I pushed the final
10 flights. Thank goodness I took those salt pills.
Lap #11 felt really tough, but with a time of 4:28 – my
fastest lap so far – no wonder! Though it took even longer to recover than
before, my energy wasn’t completely tapped. I knew I had another climb left in
me.
Lap #12 (4:18)
OK… one lap to go! With a strong lap #11, I knew I was on
track to break the record.
Downstairs, I inquired how much time I had left before my
2.5 hours was up. I was told I had about 10 minutes to spare. I intended to use
the extra rest to my advantage. I also learned that Jason and Harrison were
neck and neck and this last lap would be the deciding factor. What a battle!
I was tired and nervous, but also a little excited. If I
climbed well, I’d smash the record. But if I bonked, it could be over in an
instant.
Knowing that 98 BPM would get me over the hump, I started my
last lap conservatively. The record would be mine if I could just stay on
course.
As I passed into the 20s, my left calf started to twitch.
Please don’t cramp… please don’t cramp…
I trode gingerly as possible up the stairs still going
strong at 98 BPM.
I passed Alberto doing single leg hops up the steps just
for… fun?!? If I had any energy to
spare, I would have cracked a smile. I think leg hops would have killed me…
The lap seemed to drag on forever until the 20 floors to go
banner. I was getting close and I could smell victory. However, I was also
climbing on fumes. This bears some explanation. On one hand, I still had
something left in the tank. Theoretically, I *could* accelerate. My heart rate wasn’t sky high and my legs were still strong. But on the other hand,
I was in pain and climbing any faster meant more even more suffering. I may not
have been at my physical limit, but I was certainly close to my pain threshold.
Screw it. I’m not going to throw down a mere 4:28… I knew I
could go faster.
So I did.
With 10 floors to go I knew I was going to put down a solid
time. My heart rate still hadn’t peaked and my body was still capable of going
faster. However this time I couldn’t summon the mental strength to increase my
level of suffering. I had already won the race and was 99% sure I’d break the
record. The voices telling me to “take it easy” eventually won out.
Despite the voices in my head, I kept my current speed. The
cheering squad at 5 floors to go made the final few flights bearable.
I could see the chrome rails signifying the final flight. I
bounded up the remaining few steps…
… and my left calf seized up.
I knew It was only a matter of time before it would happen,
but the fates were with me. I only had to take a couple more steps to cross the
finish line.
I hobbled in pain over the mat and then exited the
stairwell. I stopped my watch at 4:18.
Though my calf was in a knot, the pain didn’t detract from
the feeling of accomplishment. I said I was going to try for the record and I
did it!
Unconsciously, I furrowed my brow and my lips turned
upside-down into a frown. It was all I could do to hold back the tears of
relief.
It took a couple seconds to compose myself, but moments
later I raised my fist into the air and cried out an emphatic “YES!” to
celebrate my victory.
Then back to reality. I had just climbed my fastest climb of
the day – on my last lap to boot! Recovery was definitely a bit slower than
after any of my previous climbs, but all
in all, I felt pretty good. I could probably have climbed another couple laps
at a decent pace (say 4:40) if I absolutely had to (and I would need a *very*
good reason).
I grabbed my finishers medal and went to tell my friends the
good news. A while later I learned my friend Jason had a fast final lap and was
assured 2nd place. Congrats!
After finishing a couple cups of Gatorade, I finally made my
way downstairs. It was time to switch into my comfortable sneakers and stretch.
As I had another 90 minutes until the awards ceremony I headed back to the hotel
to take a shower, pack and check out.
The awards ceremony was held outside this year and although
it was cold, I barely noticed. I was still stoked about the race. My official
time was 55:13 for all twelve laps and I couldn’t have been prouder.
 |
| Podium: Jason, Alex and Harrison (I'm the one in the middle). |
After the ceremony I hung around the hotel for a while
sharing stories with the other competitors but at 1:00 PM sharp, it was time to
head to the airport - just in time to see the Patriots win.
Final Thoughts:
Although I’m happy I have the record in both the Vertical
Sprint and Vertical Mile, I’d be the first to tell you that the prior record
was set when the first lap of the Mile counted towards the Sprint whereas I had
the luxury of a day between the two races.
Despite the day of rest, the sprint took more out of me than
I wanted. My lungs were raw during the Mile so I wasn’t quite back at 100%.
Don’t get me wrong – I was certainly race ready – but I know I left some time
on the table. Perhaps a second or two here and there?
From my experience, after clocking in a 3:43 sprint, I
couldn’t have been able to continue at a 4:37 average pace for another 11 laps.
I bet I could have clocked in a 4:20 first lap (after all my last lap was a
4:18!) and maintain the necessary pace, but honestly I don’t know if I could
have matched Terry’s first lap (3:58) and still break the VM record.
If I had to guess, I would bet that Terry didn’t go quite
all out when he set the bar at 3:58. That’s my take, at least.
Even if my records have stars associated with them, I’m
still very pleased. I crushed the Vertical Sprint and I shaved off over
two minutes from last year’s Vertical Mile. Let’s take a look at how my times
stacked up. I’m also including my self-timed splits to highlight a couple of
discrepancies I noticed after the fact.
Lap Number
|
2018 Actual
|
2019 Actual
|
2019
Self-Timed
|
#1
|
4:52
|
4:42
|
4:43
|
#2
|
4:48
|
4:38
|
4:40*
|
#3
|
4:50
|
4:35
|
4:37
|
#4
|
4:57
|
4:36
|
4:36
|
#5
|
4:55
|
4:38
|
4:38
|
#6
|
4:50
|
4:42
|
4:37
|
#7
|
4:40
|
4:37
|
4:38
|
#8
|
4:46
|
4:38
|
4:37
|
#9
|
4:49
|
4:38
|
4:37
|
#10
|
4:42
|
4:39
|
4:35
|
#11
|
4:50
|
4:38
|
4:28
|
#12
|
4:29
|
4:18
|
4:18
|
*I didn’t time my 2nd lap so this was my
conservative estimate (it was pretty close!)
As you can see, I beat each of last year’s laps – often by
10 to 20 second margins. Considering I purposefully *didn’t* participate
in the Sprint last year, this is truly an apples to apples comparison. Needless
to say I’m pleased. I knew it would be possible to shave off 5 – 10 seconds per
lap, but to have climbed so consistently and fast? Even I’m impressed with the
year-over-year improvement.
Upon closer look, most of my self-reported times are within
a second of the actual results. However two of the results are 4-5 seconds
different (laps #6 & #10) and my 11th lap was a whopping 10
seconds slower than what I timed. I could probably chalk up laps #6 & #10
to random error, but I know I used a faster pace on my 11th lap and
purposely pushed a bit harder. I’m guessing something was off with the timing
on this lap. Oh well.
The last observation is the just how different this race can
be for various athletes. This warrants a bit of explanation…
To get all 12 climbs in, you need to have a decent amount of
fitness. Even the slowest 12 lap climber is an athlete in my book. Logistically,
you need to start your 12th lap under the 2.5 hour time limit. Based
on data from the last couple years, it appears you need to have an average pace
of under 10:40 for the first 11 climbs. You also have to have a bit of luck with
the elevators so that you can get back to the start line in under three minutes.
In this case, the slowest possible time (assuming you don’t bag the 12th
lap) is about 2:07. Essentially, the slowest athletes spend over two hours
climbing with less than half an hour of total break time.
The fastest athletes, on the other hand, have lap times of under
5 minutes. Overall, they spend about 1 hour climbing and about an hour and half
resting (~5 minutes per climb with ~8 minutes of rest).
This is a vastly different race for those on opposite
ends of the spectrum!
Slower athletes climb nearly continuously and therefore have
to pace themselves underneath the red line (mostly cardio). For the fastest
athletes, the pace is often over the redline (mainly on the upper flights) so
the race is really like a HIIT workout (i.e. a good amount of anaerobic work).
I will say one last thing about the fastest athletes.
Personally, I was nearly recovered with just 5 minutes of rest. I took the full
8 minutes in the hopes that I’d shave a
couple seconds off my lap times. I’m pretty sure I could have completed the
Vertical Mile in under two hours without sacrificing too much speed. On the
other hand, If I only had say 2-3 minutes of rest each lap (just like the slower
athletes) I bet I’d have a noticeable increase in my lap times.
Race Grades:
Effort: B+; I climbed this race conservatively
enough to make sure I wouldn’t bonk. This was a good trade off.
Weight: B; (same as Sprint)
Conditioning: B+; (same as Sprint)
Pacing &
Technique: A; My splits were *very*
consistent and right where they needed to be to capture the record. Behold the
power of the metronome! As the pace was much slower (compared with the sprint)
my climbing technique was good.
Overall: A-; Yes, there is room to improve… but I wouldn’t want to try it any time soon. Overall,
I’m satisfied with this race.
