New York, New York!

Lead Up:

I've been feeling dejected of late. While I hit my weight loss goal and my fitness seemed close to pre-COVID levels, my race results haven't matched my expectations. With races in both Albany and Seattle clocking in 5-10 seconds slower than I expected, I felt like I had lost my top gear. Like, when I was in my late 30s and early 40s, I would've found that extra gear. While I probably would've gone out a little aggressively and paid the toll for it in the latter half of a climb, I  would have also pushed through the pain - finally collapsing in a heap at the end with a solid time. These days maybe my body can't tolerate it? or maybe I'm just unwilling to get to that point?

While I'm still in very good shape, I can't help but think my glory days are behind me.

That didn't stop me from grinding out a solid week of workouts in between races, however. I pushed myself hard and I hit 2nd (post-COVID) bests in all my major workouts leading up to ESBRU. While they weren't absolute bests... doing them back-to-back-to back during the same week was a solid achievement.

I finally stopped grinding on Monday with only 48 hours before the race. I limited my weight training session to about 70-85% (legs) and did a fairly easy workout on Tuesday, keeping my HR below 160 which is where fatigue really starts to accumulate.

While I wasn't completely fresh come race day, I still felt pretty darn good.

My goal for this race was low 13s. Last year I climbed in 13:38 and fitness wise, I knew I should shave off a solid 25 seconds. My stretch goal, however was 12:59. Breaking 13 would be fantastic and be in line with many of my other ESBRUs. 

Logistics:

Amtrak didn't have any cheap & convenient rides from Albany/Rensselaer to Penn Station on race day, so I drove down to Beacon to take the commuter rail. 

View of the Hudson at Beacon

Though it is two stations south of Poughkeepsie (my usual stop) it actually takes the same amount of time to drive to Beacon since it is right off I84. A few more tolls, but it cuts 18 minutes (and a couple of bucks) off of my train ride. I wish I had figured this out 20 years ago.

I left the house at 2:45 and got to Beacon around 4:25. Plenty of time to catch the 4:49 train to Grand Central. On the train I read a few chapters of "A Canticle for Leibowitz" and tried to not think about the upcoming race. I arrived at Grand Central around 6:15 PM (on time) and had my pre-race snack downstairs in the food court - a banana with peanut butter. In case you are wondering, I like my bananas a little under ripe when eating them with peanut butter and mostly ripe when eating them plain.

As I walked towards the Empire State Building, I took a snapshot of it right as the sun was setting. You can see One Penn Plaza (another NYC racing venue) in the background since they are both on 34th Street. The entire walk takes maybe 15 minutes.

Pre-Race:

ESBRU attracts a pretty strong international field each year as well as a gaggle of top American climbers. While generally you see a lot of familiar faces in the lineup, you don't find out the actual lineup until you're lining up.

Here is a bunch of strong climbers I knew in order of expected finishing order:

Internationals: Wai Ching Soh, Fabio Ruga, and Omar Bekkali. Also, former Olympic 2x gold medalist triathlete Alistair Brownlee was set to make an appearance, though for some reason he wasn't starting with the elites. Surprisingly absent was Ryoji Watanabe who won last year.

There were at least a couple other international elites as well, but I don't keep up with the World rankings these days and I just don't know them well enough to comment. I just had to assume that if they traveled to NYC for a race, they were likely faster than I was.

Americans: Cole Hetzel, David Roeske, Myself, Martin Pederson**, Troy Alston, Mark Ewell, David Tromp, and Steve Marsalese. A fairly competitive field... but surprisingly missing were Sproule Love and Jason Larson. Of the field, the only climber strong enough to compete with the faster internationals was Cole Hetzel.

**Martin is actually Danish, but he is my friend and he shows up a lot of big American Climbs. Hence, I'm grouping him with us.

I'm not as qualified to speak for the Women's side, but of the women I knew, my top picks were: Shari Klarfeld, Kamila Chomanicova (international), Anna Carlson, Jill Paha, Nicole Robbins, Tricia O'Hara, and Debbie Officer. There were several other international women in the line-up, but I follow women's racing even less than the men's. The only other woman I hoped would be at the race was Cindy Harris, but sadly she didn't attend this year.

I had a good 30 minutes to kill before heading to the start line. I changed into my racing gear and checked in my bag *twice* as I forgot to change into my racing flats the first time around. As I waited in the auditorium, I chatted with a few of my stair racing friends and Tower Masters teammates** who I haven't seen for a long while and finally met Cole Hetzel who I knew only through reputation. Before heading to the start line, I began doing my active stretching routine followed by a couple rounds of burpees to start my warmup.

**David Tromp, Steve (dad) and Sebastian (son) Marsalese, & Jim McNamara (there for moral support). 

Showtime:

I followed my friend Jill to the start line (I was hoping she'd earn a podium spot) and finished up my last few rounds of burpees. They felt easy, though they spiked my heart rate much higher than I would've otherwise expected. Probably nerves?

We were given a short warning a few minutes prior to the 8:00 PM official start time. I lined up in the 2nd row. Last year I started at the back was boxed out of the stairwell for a few seconds. 

I was expecting a couple minutes of announcements and introductions, but to my surprise, we were given just a "Ready... go!" as the clock hit 8:00. Honestly, I kind of like it better this way; it helps me time my last round of burpees in order to keep my warm-up fresh for the race.

We began a mad dash to the stairwell as I started my stop watch. I may or may not have yelled "Charge!".

I got stuck in the doorway for a trice, but soon I was climbing up. The first couple floors were crowded, but I was still able to climb at my metronome's 90 BPM pace. Within a few floors, the fastest climbers (and rabbits) were already a couple flights ahead leaving a gruppetto of slower climbers in their wake. At this point I think it was David R., Alex (me), Martin, Troy, and Mark climbing ass-to-nose in a vertical human centipede.

The floors passed by fairly quickly and I only looked for the floor numbers when we hit double digits. We were still in formation but no longer climbing on top of one another, As we entered the mid teens, I noticed Troy gaining on me. A conundrum. Should I stay on the inside lane and force him to expend extra energy to pass on the outside? Or should I lose a second and step out of the way to give him a clean pass? My rule is that if I'm confident I'm the better athlete, I'll stay in my lane. It's not my fault that a weaker climber is unable to reign in their enthusiasm. But if I'm unsure... I always get out of the way.

I got out of the way. 

While I hoped to eventually pass him further up, Troy beat me earlier this year in a 22 floor sprint climb and also beat me 9.5 years ago (February 2016) in this very same building.

I soon hit the 20th floor where the stairwell transitions from a regular stairwell (Single flight, landing, 180 turn, Repeat) to a Z pattern (Single flight, 180 turn, Run towards the next flight, 180 turn, Repeat). Time to take stock of the situation. While nearly at the quarter point vertically, time wise it's just under the 20% mark and still early in the race. I still felt pretty strong. Fresh even. The real climb was just beginning and I'm glad I felt as good as I did.

I quickly found my new rhythm and over the course of the next two floors. Unexpectedly, Troy had stepped out of the way to let the rest of us go by. Did he blow up? There wasn't enough oxygen in my brain to think about it.

Into the 30s, we were now down to three climbers. David, Alex, and Martin, though maybe Mark was still holding on. I couldn't tell.

For the past 10 floors, it went something like this:

Climb steady to my metronome up the flight, turn, sprint to the next flight, catch on to the side rail and swing myself around the corner, using the momentum to carry me up the first few steps. Repeat. 

The problem was, I was constantly grabbing on to the side rail right next to David's hand as he began to climb up the next flight. While my momentum carried me up the first few stairs, I'd have to pause slightly to let David get a little further ahead so we weren't bumping into each other. Frankly, it was getting tiresome (mentally) and I knew I was wasting a little time and energy after switching from the flat to the stairs. 

I contemplated passing to make my climb a little easier. But considering we were virtually going the same speed, I knew that I'd have to accelerate for a few floors to get away clean. That seemed like a foolish idea considering I was approaching my red line. Honestly, I didn't want to go any faster. Rather, I just wanted some space. So going into the 40s I eased up a bit to put a half-flight of space between us.

At this point, our trio had dwindled down to just two of us. I could kind of hear Martin down below, but I couldn't see him.

On 42, I cheered internally. One Corning Tower done... and a little more than one to go**. 

**Years ago, David Tromp told me this is what goes through his head and it's stuck in mine ever since.

From here it started to feel tough. No longer was I attacking the flats and aggressively turning. However, 90 BPM pace on the stairs still felt reasonable.

Into the 50s, I was still holding it together. The gap between David and myself was nearly a whole flight. While he was exiting, I was entering.

Then came the 60s. I knew we were approaching the last phase of the race. I could hear David, but I had nearly lost sight of him.

On the 65th floor transition to the next stairwell, I nearly panicked. At this point, you exit the stairwell and run down a few different hallways with a couple 90 degree turns in between. While I didn't get lost, I realized I had lost contact with David. Not only could I not see him, but I couldn't hear him either.

I got back into the stairwell and climbed up to the 66th floor. If I had any breath to spare I would've breathed a sigh of relief. While I couldn't see David, I could hear him on the flight above. The acoustics of the previous hallway had just muffled out the sound.

Climbing up towards the 70s it was time for a gut check. I was pretty much on the knife's edge of the redline. Once you go past the red line, there is no coming back so you'd better be close to the finish... and with nearly 20 floors to go, I wasn't yet ready to push harder. It was a weird feeling. On one hand I was in pain and ready to stop, but on the other, I felt I could continue this pace for a good while yet. This far into the race, I think I was a half-step slower on the runs. However, I could still handle my 90 BPM pace on the vertical sections. Barely.

I was mentally trying to avoid thinking about the pain. I just checked each floor off one by one until I hit the 76th floor. Only 10 more to go. I glanced down at my watch. I don't quite remember the number, but I think it was somewhere in the low 11s. While these are "long" floors with all the running involved, I felt like I had a shot at breaking 13.

I had nearly lost David at this point. He was probably over a floor ahead; I could hear him, but only faintly. I mentally chastised myself - I shouldn't have let him get so far ahead in the first place. Time to reel him in.

77, 78, 79. I attempted to run on the flats with a little more urgency and take the turns a little more aggressively.

Into the 80s. 

By now I realized I had run out of room to catch up to David who I assumed also increased his pace, but it didn't stop me from trying to close the gap.

81, 82, 83. Just three floors to go. I  stopped caring about the pain and just climbed.

83, 84, 85. Almost there. Push!

I swear that the last floor or so skips a run and just goes vertical. After getting used to the landings it felt like someone socked me in the gut. 

While I exited the stairwell on the 86th floor, I thought I saw a glimpse of David as he went around the turn on the observation deck. Now it was just a sprint to the finish line. I made it around the final turn and I could see the race clock with big red numbers. 12:46... 12:47... 12:48... I ran through the finish line to squeeze out a fraction of a second. I stopped my watch at 12:53 a few seconds after crossing. Then I collapsed to the ground. I had really pushed myself and there was a real possibility of climbing under 12:50.

The Aftermath:

It took a few minutes to get up. I didn't even notice when the remaining men and the next wave of women crossed the line. I was woozy, but happy. I had beaten both my goal and stretch goal in what was probably my 2nd fastest time ever in this building going back 10+ years. So while Albany and Seattle indicated I hadn't regained my former climbing shape... this race flips that script.

Eventually most of the climbers I knew were gathered on the observation deck and for once I could truly admire the view. I bumped into Jill who for once seemed pleased with her race. She mentioned that although she didn't reach the podium, she kept up with the other top women, battling it out throughout the entire race.

After race photos courtesy of Mark Ewell

By now the race results were being posted and I took a quick glance. The placement seemed legitimate (9th overall) but the times looked wonky. They had me coming in at 12:34 which was ~15 seconds faster than reality and it appeared all the other climbers in my wave had the same timing issue. You can see the official results here.

Finally time to go back downstairs. By happenstance I ran into Alistair Brownlee (the aforementioned gold medalist) and had a quick photo with him. Turns out he raced in a different wave and clipped me by 6 seconds. It's too bad he didn't compete with the elites as I might've been with him our little group.

Before I returned home, I grabbed some Pizza with Jill and her mom to celebrate. I think it was well deserved as Jill came in 4th among the ladies and I came in 9th overall.

I caught the 10:47 PM train back to Beacon. I was on a high nearly the entire way back. Like a rational adult, I tried my best to take a nap as I had a 3-seat row all to myself, but all I could do was close my eyes. Possibly a mix of endorphins and caffeine. After arriving at Beacon, I hopped in my car and drove back to Albany. I arrived home by 2:00 AM, though I didn't actually go to bed until 3:00. I'd be tired tomorrow... but the trip to NYC was worth it.

Grades:

Fitness: A minus - Very close to pre-Covid levels.

Weight: A minus - I'm somewhere between 171 and 172 lbs on any given day which is where I typically race at. The final goal is just below 170.

Effort: A - I pushed myself pretty hard. I thought about giving an A minus, but considering how pleased I was with myself afterwards, I'm giving myself that A.

Pacing & Technique: B Plus - 90 BPM was pretty solid at least after the 20th floor. My technique - sprinting the landings and swinging around the rails - was solid, but not really the right strategy (more thoughts below)

Overall: A minus - While I was in survival mode, say into the 50s and above, I didn't break mentally and kept with it. I didn't have a "killer instinct" but that might be due to the venue.

Final Thoughts:

I've always struggled at ESBRU. Even this time around I feel like I underperformed relative to other climbers (like in a similarly timed building, I'd expect to be in the mid/lower 12s rather than upper 12s/lower 13s). I think over the years I've accepted this fact. This year, my only aspiration was to erase last year's poor performance** by putting down a more respectable time. A 13:10 would be solid. Anything below 13 would be wonderful.

**It's not that last year was a "bad" race. Rather, I was slower because I was a few pounds overweight and my fitness was still a work in progress.

Tactically, I think my decision to stay behind David was sound. He's stronger in the building and his pace was pretty consistent. However, I think I wasted a bunch of energy in the 20s and 30s attacking the flats and turns only to pause when catching up to David. I either should've passed or been less aggressive... and because I wasn't feeling confident enough to pass, I should've been less aggressive.

The funny thing is, after I stopped attacking and had some space... I lost the will (and perhaps even the ability) to attack. 

After looking at the race results, I think I uncovered the main source of error. I specifically remember starting the race just as the clock passed 8:00 PM. However, all of the men in the elite wave have their official start time as 8:00:18 (eighteen seconds past 8 O'clock). So assuming that the top and bottom clocks were in sync, I trust my crossing time of 8:12:49 means I really climbed in 12:49.

Finally, after looking at the splits on the 20th floor, 65th floor, and finish line on the 86th floor observation deck, it's amazing how the top men climbed up. Essentially, the top 6 men sprinted up the first 20 floors and then settled into a much slower pace for the rest of the building. 

As an example, take the 3rd and 4th climbers (Ching Chun & Cole) who basically climbed up the building together. Overall, they were ~82 seconds ahead of me. By the 20th floor (representing ~20% of the race) they were already 35 seconds ahead. From floors 20-65 (representing ~55% of the race) they pulled further ahead by another 35 seconds. Finally, from floors 65 to the finish on 86 (representing ~25% of the race) they pulled ahead by only 12 seconds.

To put it another way:

43% of the gap came during the first 20% of the race

43% of the gap came during the middle 55% of the race

14% of the gap came during the last 25% of the race

While I don't adhere to that strategy myself, the fact that all the faster climbers used it appears to give it some merit, at least in a race with a mass start.

The Terminator

Go!

I shot into the stairwell and tried to hit the start button of my stop watch.

"Tried".

The watch face display showed my screensaver rather than my stop watch app. After pressing the digital crown of my apple watch, I realized that the stop watch went to sleep... and it would take 5 seconds of calm, deliberate manipulation to get it back. LOL.

Fuck. I'd have to climb without a stopwatch. It wouldn't be my first rodeo.

Up, Up, Up... To the Left, To the Left, To the Left...

I was Bib #7. Bib #6 was a no-show, so Jason Larson with Bib #5 was fifteen seconds ahead of me up the stairwell. He was last year's US Champion so this would be a tough race.

It's been a year since my return to stair climbing and what a humbling experience it has been. My debut race was at last year's US Championships at the Stratosphere. I was 10 lbs overweight and in mediocre shape. It showed. I was over a minute slower than my slowest attempt (Pre-Covid). Very embarrassing.

Throughout the season my fitness increased and my weight dropped but my race results continued to be dismal. World Championships at Taipei, Empire State Building Run-up, and Sear Tower were all below expectations. 

However, a decent showing at Bop to the Top had my hopes up for this year's US Championships.

This year it was hosted at Hustle up the Hancock in Chicago instead of at the Stratosphere. It's a somewhat taller race course with about 3 minutes of extra climbing (at my level at least).

I had some experience at Hustle, having climbed it in 2012 and 2013. But that was well over a decade ago when I was relatively new to this sport. If I recall correctly, my times were 11:11 and 11:08 respectively. While I believe I would've challenged the 10 minute mark at my peak, I certainly wasn't at that point now. Maybe I was around my 2013 speed? I suspected as much, but I've kind of lost faith in my ability to estimate fitness (I'm 0-4 in all the big races).

I had set my metronome to 88 BPM. In 2012 & 2013 I used 90 & 92 BPM respectively, but according to my notes (thank you blog!) this pace was slightly aggressive and towards the top I started double stepping the landings. So 88 seemed like a decent target*. 

*Plus, 88 is an auspicious number..

The pace seemed fine for the first dozen or so floors and I climbed fairly cleanly - hugging the rails and keeping just a single foot on the landings.

The problem with Hustle, however, is that the stairwell isn't uniform. Sometimes there's an even number of steps per flight and sometimes there's an odd number.

Before the race I looked for a stairwell chart. There isn't one - not even on Stan's blog. However there were a few online videos of the stairwell. I saw a few 11/11s, but sadly that is just in one section and it seems to vary significantly.

So my strategy was to take a single step every time I got to a landing. This would be perfect for 11/11s and merely acceptable for 10/10s  

By the 20s, I was still in good shape. My heartrate had stabilized and I could feel the pace. No longer easy... but sustainable.

In the 30s I was still climbing alone. I passed a few volunteers wordlessly (like I couldn't really afford to speak) but other than that I didn't hear anything from above or below.

In the 40s and 50s it was just my metronome keeping me company. By now, the pace felt hard. I knew could maintain it for a little while... but the fact remained that I was merely halfway up the building.

As I approached the 60s I was starting to fade. My turns were becoming sloppy, though I still managed to keep up with my metronome. Somewhere along the way I had switched over from hugging the inside rail to pulling on both sides. Slightly more ergonomic... but less efficient on the turns. 

The only silver lining was that I thought I could hear another climber up ahead. Likely Jason. It was hard to tell how many floors ahead he was, but simply hearing another climber gave me some hope.

By this point I was in the upper 60s. While I was still in the hunt, doubts were creeping in. My heart rate had peaked and I was suffering. I honestly considered quitting as I still had 24 more floors of pain to go.

But I managed to suppress those demons. At least partially. My climbing technique took a hit and I started double stepping those landings more often than not. Worse yet, the sounds from above were fading... and so was my confidence.

Somehow I made it into the 80s. I was chasing a ghost... but I was still chasing.

With only a dozen floors remaining I knew I only a minute or so of climbing left. It would be painful, but no longer impossible.

On the 84th floor I started to increase my pace slightly. Turns weren't pretty, but I managed to stay ahead of my metronome.

I crested the 88th floor and I could smell blood. Jason couldn't have been more than a couple of floors ahead.

I used what remaining energy I had on the final few floors. 90, 91, 92. It wasn't much faster, but it was enough to close the gap even further. I could hear cheering coming from the top of the stairwell. One last push. 93... 94... and then a quick run through the door.

While I didn't quite catch Jason, I could see him walking down the finisher's corral. I couldn't have been more than 10 seconds behind.

I collapsed to the ground. No idea what my time was (thanks Apple) but I was thrilled to finally keep up with the pack.

I spend a few minutes on the ground, but slowly I managed to get back to my feet. I was tired, but thrilled.

After speaking with a few other climbers, I  realized that I was likely the top American in the US Championship wave. However, as Hustle is a huge event, I didn't really think my time would survive. I was in the low 11s and there are often a few really strong Chicago athletes that show up (runners, cyclists, etc.) that dip into the 10s... and sure enough I was right. You can see the results for yourself:

https://resphealth.org/hustle-2025-results/

A pair of local cyclists (Chris Wiatr & Sean Eisen) took first & second place at the US Championships (2nd & 4th overall) though I wouldn't learn of Sean's time until later in the day as he climbed in the team event.

While I had to settle for 3rd place at the US Championships (6th overall), I was more than happy with the result. My time of 11:11 matched my time in 2012 and I managed to keep up with all of my rivals (Jason, Chris, and Martin).

Grades:

Fitness: A minus - My workouts have been slowly getting better. Slowly.

Weight: B plus - At 174 lbs., I'm only a couple pounds away from an acceptable weight, though I really need to be around 170 lbs to feel like my old self.

Effort: A - I pushed myself hard.

Pacing & Technique: B - Pacing was a couple beats too fast. My technique was okay until I hit the 60th floor. After that point... not so great.

Overall: A minus - I started to break mentally, but I held firm. This was a solid race.

Final Thoughts:

While I still haven't regained all my fitness or shed all of the weight I gained during Covid, this was my first solid race at a big event since my return to competition. While I'll probably never be as fast I was pre-Covid, I feel like I've turned the corner.

I'm Back.

Bop Till You Drop

I struggle writing about my races. I used to love writing, but these days it just feels like a chore. In fact, I have many posts that are half-complete. So this time around, I'm just going to write for myself. Something to remind myself of what the race was like, how I felt, and how I could improve.

The race was on Saturday so I basically had my normal workouts that week. I just replaced my Thursday workout with some stairwell time trials at race pace (which is  slower than my normal sprinting pace). Plus I took Friday off.

The drive was brutal. I drove down to Poughkeepsie to meet Tom on Thursday evening. Fortunately, my wife made me take her car after a bit of protest. Thank goodness. It started snowing halfway down the Taconic and her car is heavier with studded snow tires. We drove a few hours and stayed over at my Dad's house near Harrisburg. That meant we only needed to drive 9 hours to Indianapolis the following day. It was a short, but nice visit.

The following day we made it to Greenfield by 7:00 PM - roughly 30 minutes east of Indianapolis. The weather was much better than the prior day. A quick trip to Walmart to pick up some food and in bed by 10:30.

Despite multiple trips to the bathroom, I had a decent sleep. 7+ hours. 

The 30ish minute drive to Indianapolis was tough. I was full of nervous energy and it was still dark. Indianapolis is still on Eastern Standard Time, but a full 12 hours west of Albany. So it gets dark nearly a whole hour later than Albany... and that means sunrise is a whole hour later too. We arrived at One America Tower around 7:40 AM. Still dark. Parking was a breeze as they let us use the near-empty employee parking garage next to the building free of charge. 

Check in was smooth. A small auditorium was full of volunteers and I received my #4 bib quite easily.

I met up with Steve Marsalese near check-in. Just after 8:00 AM we scouted out the stairwell as a warm-up. I was all nerves. My legs felt like jelly and my heart was fluttering. But after a dozen floors or so, I felt a little bit better. 

The stairwell itself is very straightforward. While I didn't get a proper step count of the bottom floors, most of the floors are 11/11 which in my opinion is very good for turning. However, the stairwell itself turns to the left, which (unfortunately) is my weak side. Another nice feature is that the rails are close enough to use both sides effectively. Lastly, the steps are a little shallow. I'd estimate they are 7 inches tall?

Compared to the Corning Tower in Albany, One America Tower is a bit shorter. 162 meters tall vs. 180 meters to the roof. Likewise, it has fewer floors 38 vs. 42, though Bop only races to the 36th floor. While the Corning Tower is definitely taller, the step counts are a bit closer: 780 steps vs. 824. That's roughly two floors worth of steps. So my estimate of 7 inch steps seems appropriate. Albany's steps are about 7.25 inches tall.

(One thing I regret is not creating my own stairwell map and measuring the steps, but alas I was too busy climbing stairs)

Looking at the history of the race, there have been a lot of good climbers. I believe Justin Stewart holds the record at 3:30 and  fast climbers like Eric Leninger and Cole Hetzel have done the race in about 3:45. Other fast climbs include David Shaffron and Martin Wilkey who both climbed in the 3:50s. Rounding out the list is Jesse Berg. while he hasn't done the single climb, he has done the triple in under 12 minutes, meaning each of his climbs averaged under 4 minutes which is very impressive. I only looked at the results since 2008 so I'm guessing there are a bunch of other fast times in the building as the race has been going on for 45 years.

While I suspected I would have broken the 4 minute barrier pre-Covid, I'm older, fatter, and not in my best shape. Just looking at how slow my Albany times have been recently (4:53 vs. 4:33 PB) means I was likely spotting myself at least 15 seconds. Possibly more than that since I've never climbed the Corning Tower in peak form (the race always conflicted with Scale the Strat).

Maybe I could still break 4 minutes? I'd probably have to settle in the low 4 minute range, but I'd give it my best shot nonetheless.

The races started at 8:30 AM and after the practice climb I had maybe 15 minutes to go. I did some active stretches and burpees to stay warmed up. The active stretches didn't go well. I could barely stand on one leg because of how nervous I was. The burpees at least seemed fairly easy.

At the start line I had the #4 bib, but only Cindy (wearing the #1 bib) and the guy with the #2 bib were actually ahead of me. They started us off with 20 seconds between climbers.

I set my metronome for 125 BPM. Jill had mentioned that a 105 gets her in the 4:40s so a 125 should get me to the top in about 4 minutes. That's as fast as I've ever set my metronome for a race, but it made sense since the steps appeared to be relatively short.

Soon it was my turn. I felt that the setup was a bit strange because they had what appeared to be a timing mat on the floor, but were using a wand to scan the bibs (which held our timing chips). I heard an audible beep, but still had a good five seconds before they allowed me into the stairwell. Shrug.

I started my stopwatch upon entering. Though I hugged the inside with the inner rail, I couldn't seem to keep just a single foot on the landing. Every time I did so, I was a fraction of a beat behind my metronome, so I'd have to spend the next step or two catching up. At 125 BPM, this just sapped my energy a bit too much. I quickly switched to double rails with a mixture of single and double footfalls on the landings. While not optimal, it put me right under the redline.

Somewhere in the teens or twenties I caught #2. By this point my breathing was getting ragged, but #2 sounded like he was struggling even more than I was. It gave me a measure of hope and I continued climbing.

By the upper 20s I was in dire straights; At floor 26 I knew I had only 10 floors to go and started mentally checking off the floors one by one. 

As I entered the 30s I could hear Cindy's footfalls and heavy breathing up ahead. I thought I was going to catch her, which would mean I'd be close to breaking the 4 minute barrier (she usually climbs in the 4:40s). On the other hand I was in really bad shape. While I was still keeping up to my metronome, my turns were pretty bad. When I hit floor 33, I started tripping over my own feet. Tunnel vision an fatigue had taken their toll. I could hear the volunteers cheering for Cindy. She was just up ahead. By the sounds of it, she finished just as I crossed the 35th floor. I had run out of real-estate. By this point had already tripped 2 or 3 times, losing a beat each time as I recovered. Not a good way to end the race. I managed to climb the last couple flights without incident. I quickly ran over the mat just inside the open doorway. I hunched over panting and stopped my watch. 4:13. Not what I had hoped for, but I had given it my shot. I stumbled another couple places and collapsed to the ground. I was completely spent.

I probably spent a good minute on the floor. I honestly have no idea. I don't even recall if #2 made it to the top before I finally climbed back to my feet. I was in a service hallway. Slowly, I shuffled to the recovery area near the elevator banks. I grabbed my finisher's T-shirt and a cup of water. I was so out of it I don't even remember if I met up with Steve or Jill before heading back down.

Downstairs, I circled around until I hit the cafeteria which served as a general hangout spot. There I met up with Tom and the other tower running regulars. I mentioned I had likely climbed 4:10-4:12 based on self-timed 4:13 taken a couple seconds after finishing.

I was still exhausted so I decided to take a rest on the floor using my bag and Tom's shirt as a pillow. My heart rate was still up around 100 BPM whereas it should really be below 80 when walking around or below 60 when sitting around.

I stayed on the floor for maybe 5 minutes before getting up to socialize.

Around 9:15 Tom was getting ready to have his first climb. I was still out of it, feeling equal parts dizzy & queezy. The thought of climbing three more times seemed crazy. 

I probably should've mentioned this earlier, but Bop to the Top hosts two races simultaneously. The Single Climb and the Triple Climb... and I signed up for both. As they are two separate races, you have to climb a total of 4 times to finish both races. The good news is that you can do the climbs whenever you want within the time limit (8:30AM to Noon). My rough plan was to start each of my climbs on the half-hour: 8:30, 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30.

Anyway, Tom was already on his way to do his first climb (he had only signed up for the Triple) when I decided to climb with him. In the back of my mind I had initially planned to serve as his pacer, but I was in such rough shape, the last thing I wanted to do was get back in the stairwell. But at the last minute I figured an easy climb might actually help me recover (as it did with Steve the last time we climbed the Corning Tower after the race).

I caught up with Tom as he was just getting in line.

His plan was to use 60 BPM and then double step for the first ten floors and then switch to single stepping at a 80 or 90 BPM. I had suggested that he just climb at 50 or 55 BPM and try to double step the entire way up, but it was his race, not mine. He'd have to learn the hard way :)

Tom entered the stairwell and I started a few seconds behind. I had taken off my bib just to be sure that I wouldn't be timed.

The first few floors were actually kind of tough. What was I getting myself into? It took a bit more effort than I had anticipated to catch up and stay behind Tom. Furthermore, I had forgotten to start my stopwatch, so I quickly started it up. We were probably less than a minute into the race, but I decided to call it a minute just to be safe.

By the 10th floor, I was finally feeling a bit better and I felt my energy starting to return, but this was also the spot where Tom started single stepping, meaning the pace was even slower (like 45 BPM when double stepping). Easy peasy.

Around the 18th floor (nearly halfway) I checked my watch. Just over 3 minutes which probably meant we just passed the 4 minute mark.

Tom's goal was to at least break the 10 minute mark. He did 10:45 at the Corning Tower which roughly translates to 10 minutes at Bop. As he's been training a bit since then (he bought a Stair Master) he ought to be even faster.

Now that my blood was pumping, I felt a lot better. Fatigued, yes, but no longer queezy. As Tom climbed I'd call out a little bit of encouragement and reminded him to hug those turns. I checked my watch again around the 27th floor. I can't remember exactly what my watch indicated, but I knew we were about a minute ahead of schedule.  

Continuing our ascent, we passed by the landing of the 31st floor which meant we had nine more flights to go. I started calling out the percentage complete as of that point: 11%, 22%, 33%, etc. Probably not the most straightforward way of thinking, but it helps me stay focused.

Tom charged up the remaining couple of flights and I stopped my watch around the 8 minute mark. I think he broke the 9 minute barrier!

I was in much better spirits at that point. Tom, however, was on the floor panting. Believe me, I know how it feels! Eventually Tom got to his feet and we hung out a few minutes at the top before taking the elevator down.

Now it was my turn to start the Triple Step.

I felt a lot better after climbing with Tom, but I was still exhausted. While 4:40s should be possible, I'd be hurting the entire way up and I doubted I could do that three times in a row. Instead, I bumped my metronome down to 100 BPM thinking that would get me on track to just break 5 minutes. I wasn't in any condition for heroics.

The first 10 floors were okay, but the further up I climbed the crappier I felt. At this point, the race became mental rather than physical. I really didn't want to be in the stairwell; I could handle the pace but it was sapping my energy and my willpower. I didn't even pay attention to my technique and I pretty much used both rails the entire way up.

Oh yeah, I forgot to change into my climbing shoes. Maybe I was carrying an extra pound?* At least I was climbing in comfort.

*You'd think I'd know the exact weight of my shoes, right?

Around the 27th floor, I checked my watch. I had just crossed the 4 minute mark. Thinking this was still a 4 minute race (rather than 5 minute race) I figured I had only another minute left to climb. Totally doable if I hustled a little bit.

Somewhere around 33 or 34 I checked my watch again. Crap. I don't remember the exact time, but it was somewhere in the 4:40s. That meant I had only 15-20 seconds to climb 3-4 floors. I just wasn't going to make it. I bounded up the few remaining flights to try to limit my losses. I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch at 5:09 or so (5:08.87 official). Oh well. I wasn't super disappointed because although I was tired, I didn't push myself over the redline like I did in the first race.

While I physically felt like crap (exhausted, nauseous, etc.) I was able to recover from the exertion without collapsing to the ground. Soon my heart rate was back to normal levels and I headed back down to recover more fully.

Around 10:10 or so, it was Tom's turn to climb.

This time around we climbed in the "Left" stairwell rather than the "Right" stairwell. Bop uses two stairwells - which eases congestion - and you can choose which one to climb. They are nearly identical; same height and configuration except for the first few floors (So I'm told - I can't remember). The other difference is that the Right Stairwell is mostly concrete - the big exception is on the 10th floor which uses a hard rubberized surface with raised circles (coins). The Left Stairwell is also concrete, but has many more floors with the coin surface.

Tom set his metronome a little bit slower - like 55 BPM - with the hopes of maintaining this pace a little longer and then switching to single steps at 90 BPM.

This time around I started my stopwatch on time - which gave me a much better sense of our pace. Like clockwork, we climbed up the first ten floors. Around the 12th floor, Tom switched to single stepping. We passed by the 18th floor at the 4:20 mark so I knew we were on track to breaking 9 minutes. The problem was, our pace had slowed down after switching to single steps and we'd have to pick it up again near the top to have a shot at slipping under nine. 

We continued our ascent, slowly passing by other climbers. We hit the 30s and I glanced at my watch. We were approaching the 8 minute mark. Only a minute left to climb... but Tom was starting to flag. I urged him on as the clock slowly ticked. We hit the 34th floor and I started pushing on Tom's rear to get him to move a little faster. 

Finally the top was in sight! we crossed the finish line and I stopped my watch. We had just missed the 9 minute mark. Not quite what we wanted... but it wasn't that much slower than our first climb. Still pretty solid.

Tom laid on the floor for a few minutes after finishing. I could tell he was tired, but not completely spent.

Around 10:30, it was time for my 2nd climb of the triple. I chose to remain in the Right Stairwell for consistency. 

I still felt fatigued, though maybe a shade better than my first triple? I was determined to break the 5 minute barrier, but not willing to go much faster than that. Therefore I kept my metronome set to 100 BPM. The difference would be that I'd need to climb more efficiently.

I entered the stairwell again. Man, I didn't really want to be there.

Despite my trepidation, the first few floors felt easy... but slowly my heart rate climbed back to discomforting levels. By the 10th floor, I was back to hurting. Yuck.

Here and there I'd pass by climbers either on the landings or the inside rail. It kept my mind off the pain I was in. 

I knew I should be hugging the inside lane more often but time and time again I'd find myself using both rails and making sloppy turns. Blah.

I reached the landing in between the 18th and 19th and risked a glance at my watch. 2:35. About 5 seconds slower than my planned pace. Not good, but not yet doomed. I'd somehow have to make up those seconds.

In the 20s, I made a conscious effort to hug the turns, though I still used both sides of the rails. I was suffering, but it was half mental. Deep down I knew this pace was more than reasonable.

I hit the 30s with a sense of relief. The suffering was nearly at an end. I even had the willpower to pick up the pace over the last couple floors for good measure. Thank goodness. I just slipped under 5 minutes (4:56.54 official).

Recovery this time around wasn't so bad. No collapsing, but I did sit on the recovery couch for a minute or two to savor the moment. I'm kidding. I still dreaded the fact that I had one more climb to go.

Back downstairs, I felt better as I hung out with the other climbers. Syd dropped by around 11:10 mentioning we only had 20 minutes left since the race ends at 11:30. I was a little surprised as I thought the climb lasted till noon and had initially planned to get my last climb in around 11:30. Oh well. A few minutes early wouldn't kill me.

This time around Tom would need to climb on his own and I told Jill that if she kept up with me I'd be able to pace her to hit 5 minutes.

I was first in, right around 11:20. I could've waited a few more minutes, but this late in the morning, it really didn't matter. Physically, I felt better relative to my last couple climbs, but only slightly. My body was still tired and running partly on fumes. The plan was merely to dip under the 5 minute mark and get this race over with.

I started my watch just before hitting the first flight and climbed up at 100 BPM. I contemplated using a slightly higher pace - say 105 considering this was my final attempt - but why change what worked?

Unlike most of the other climbs, the line into the stairwell was basically empty. However, by the time I reached the 10th floor, I was busy passing people - more so than usual. In fact, a couple of times I ended up passing by on the outside rail when they wouldn't move out of the way.

I was into the 20s when I heard Jill call "Pass" from down below. Maybe three floors down? Hard to tell. Then she said it again more emphatically. Then I heard a guy's voice cursing back at her in a loud whiney voice. "I AM just fucking wait" or somesuch. I had passed a heavy-set older guy 20-30 seconds ago on one of the landings so my guess it was him.

My first reaction was WTF? and my second reaction was how are you two still able to speak coherently? I certainly couldn't say anything more than a grunt or two.

Then a floor or two later I heard Jill call out to a volunteer that some guy was swearing at her. Always drama with her around.

Up until now I had been climbing on cruise control - using both rails and taking sloppy turns. I felt like crap, but was used to it. Towards the upper 20s I dug in a little bit, hugging the inside rail and taking the turns more efficiently. Why didn't I do this in the first place?

I climbed up maybe 5 floors efficiently before switching back to double rails, but now I was approaching the 30s.

While I felt awful and my breathing was laborious, I felt a surge of energy. I was almost done. Unlike any of my previous climbs, I kicked it up a notch, climbing slightly faster than my metronome. I reached the 34th floor knowing I was pushing myself hard, but confident I could keep up the pace for a little while yet.

I crossed the finish line and glanced at my watch. 4:48 (4:50.93 official)!

The last few floors had taken its toll, but surprisingly I recovered quite well. Arguably I felt better than either of my other two triple steps despite this being my 7th trip up. 

I waited at the top for Jill and Tom. Jill was rightfully pissed at the dude who wouldn't move out of the way. Tom arrived several minutes later, pleased with his solo climb. While this was his slowest ascent (by a mere fraction of a second) he felt pretty good and was able to recover quite quickly. He told me that he slowed down his metronome to 50 BPM and managed to hold that pace for a few more floors despite being fatigued from the start. 

Aftermath:

The awards ceremony started at noon. I took home first place overall for the single climb (initially 4:20 but eventually corrected to 4:13.88) and second overall for the Triple. Race results are here.

After the ceremony, I snapped my picture with Joseph Kenny, a top climber 20-30 years ago. Later, Tom and I took a quick walk around Indianapolis and met up with Jill and her mom for a late lunch near their hotel.

And just like that we were on the road again. We had a snowstorm to outrun.

Grades:

Fitness: A minus - A little hard to estimate as weight plays a role in most of my workouts, but I think I've gotten back most of my Pre-Covid fitness.

Weight: B plus - At 175 lbs., I'm getting closer to my 170 lbs. target.

Single

Effort: A Plus - Pushed myself close to breaking and I paid for it!

Pacing & Technique: B minus - Pacing was hair too fast and my turns too slow.

Overall: B plus - The pace was a bit too much and my technique suffered, but I still put up a good showing

Triple

Effort: C Plus - I feel like I could've gone faster, but the fatigue of the first race made it hard to pump up those watts.

Pacing & Technique: B - Pacing was okay for my (somewhat underwhelming) goal of 5 minutes. My Technique improved a bit over the course of the three climbs.

Overall: B Minus/Plus - On one hand, my times were mediocre and I left a good chunk of time on the table. However, Holy Cow was I in rough shape because I over-exerted myself in the first race. It was a mental challenge just to finish. 

Final Thoughts:

If I were to do this race again, I'd need to be 172 pounds or less and in top shape as my only goal would be to break the 4 minute mark. That's a tall order. The truth is, I still have several pounds to lose, but at the same time I'm not getting any younger. I remember climbing up the Bennington Monument (a true sprint race) several years in a row. Despite being in better shape year over year, I'd be a second slower each successive climb. That was in my late 30s. Now in my late 40s. I suspect my window for breaking the 4 minute mark at Bop has nearly closed. I can only guess how I would've fared back 5-6 years ago.

But if I do come back, I'd need to go out at a more reasonable 120 BPM and use the slower pace to hug the inside rail. While I'd lose about 11 seconds of speed, I'd potentially gain up to 35 seconds if my turns were clean. Heck, even 115 might squeak under if I sprinted the last 6 floors.

Regarding the Triple, I would be lying if I said I was happy coming in 2nd. The winner (a college runner) put up respectable times, and I lost by 38 seconds (cumulative). Had I been able to keep my best three climbs of the day - keeping my 4:13 and dropping my 5:08 - I would've come out on top, though just barely. I think had I only done the triple, I think I could consistently hit the low 4:30s. Maybe try 110 BPM if I were fresh? Just a guess.

Lastly, Tom did quite well. Considering he collapsed at the top of the Corning Tower in 10:45, I would've expected him to climb Bop in 9:45. But instead he put down a 8:47 and followed it up with a pair of 9:07s. It is quite a remarkable improvement. Realistically, I think he could've climbed up in under 8:30 if he had done just the single climb, which would've put him in the top 25%. In the car ride back East, we talked about pacing an he agreed that climbing up at 45 or 50 BPM and keeping that pace is probably a better strategy than going out a bit faster and purposefully switching over to single steps at 80-90 BPM halfway up. Hopefully we'll be able to put this plan into place during our next race!