Before the Race
This event, held on Nov 19 2006, was my very first stair-climbing race. The race involved climbing the 73-storey Swissotel hotel building, which was � and still is, as of Nov 2006 � the tallest hotel in Southeast Asia. At one time, it was the tallest hotel building in the world. (I wonder which hotel had overtaken it.
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I had been stair climbing for the past year, with the exception of the last two months. With an eye towards the coming traditional 26-mile marathon two weeks after this stair-climbing race, I had run mostly on level surfaces during this period. So I had no specific training (stair climbing) for the past two months.
Also, with the 26-mile marathon just two weeks away, I had to be extra careful to avoid injuries. There would not be much time for recovery. (I almost decided not to take part in the stair-climbing race because I felt that it was a little too close to the marathon.)
I had also decided to stair climb barefoot. Most of my stair climbing training had been done barefoot. (I just hopped out of my apartment and begin climbing the 22-storey apartment building. Couldn't be bothered with shoes). And so I was very used to climbing barefoot. I emailed the great barefoot runner Rick, creator of www.barefootrunner.org, asking for advise. (He was the inspiration for my first barefoot race - New Balance 10 km run.) He encouraged me to stair climb barefoot too, just be careful not to snub my toes.
I was going against the advise of most people who thought that wearing shoes would be a better idea.
But then, I had been living my life largely against the thinking of the majority. And what a minority I would become. On race day, I discovered that I was the only barefoot runner in the race out of a thousand runners. (For the 10 km run the year before, I was likewise the only barefoot runner).
I decided to participate in the 40 to 49 age group category instead of the open category. I reasoned that it would be fairer and easier for me to go against those around my age. I didn�t think I would stand a chance against the younger runners.
The Race
Runners started in batches of six. Filled with adrenaline, I ran at almost full speed from the start. I was second among my group of six till the 25th floor when I ran out of gas. Two runners easily overtook me immediately.
I slowed down drastically and struggled on. Every step was torture. At the 68th storey, with just 5 storeys more to go, I heard furious footsteps right behind me. Another runner was threatening to overtake. Though exhausted, I was not in the mood for being overtaken. So I sprinted up till I reached the finish line, gasping for breath, with the chasing runner still hot on my trail. Hence, I achieved my impromptu goal of not being overtaken again.
Once having crossed the finish line, I felt like vomiting. I also felt giddy. Realizing that I was at the rooftop of a 73-storey building, I had visions of falling off the building. What a messy and ugly splatter that would make. My descend would be much faster than my ascend.
Like a drunkard, I staggered on for a few paces and collapsed at the edge of the roof. A concerned volunteer came up to me and asked if I was feeling OK. I said yes. She said the air during stair climbing wasn�t as good as the open air for normal races. I guess she was right. And any bad air was a disadvantage because of my weak lungs.
Afterthoughts
My timing was 13 mins 25 secs. I knew that I could have done much better if I hadn�t taken off like a crazy hound dog right off the starting block. But that was a lesson I could put to good use if were to compete in this event again.
What surprised me was that the 40 to 49 age category had the fastest average time among all the men's age categories. The average time for this group was even faster than the 20 to 29 age group. This surprised me because I was sure that younger runners were fitter and stronger than us old folks.
The 40 to 49 age group�s average time was also faster than the open category. My timing was in the lower half of my 40 to 49 age group. But if I had taken part in the open category, my timing was well into the upper half � almost within the upper third.
I take this as an encouragement. This might mean that we older folks still had something more within us. And I wasn�t going to underestimate other runners of about my age no more.
Oh, I almost forgot. Did the absence of shoes do me any harm? None at all. I felt light, comfortable, and natural with my bare feet. There were the usual stares at my bare feet from the other runners. They must have been wondering why I wasn�t wearing shoes. But I was wondering why they were wearing shoes.
Links concerning this event:
Over a thousand participate in Swissotel vertical marathon - Press report for the event by Channel NewsAsia.
Swissotel Vertical Marathon - Official site for this event.
Our girl on top of the world - Update! The winner of the women's Vertical Marathon, the beautiful Suzy Walsham, went on to win the women's Empire State Building run in 2007. Congratulations, Suzy! I love you. |
