Race to the top of the Columbia Tower - March 16th
The Big Climb isn't hard to complete (to race is another story); however, part of what makes this idea fun is taking the time to find some random challenges. Some can demand a serious time commitment like getting my EMT license while others can take only minutes, but offer loads of fun. The Big Climb is one of those events and is a great platform to raise awareness and dollars for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The Objective is to scale the Columbia tower in Seattle as fast as you can. When I first heard of this race i thought, 'must take people around 30 minutes." Well I was shocked that the winning time was just under eight minutes. One look at the above pic (at least to me) and it seems impossible to run to the top of that building so quickly.
It's a totally hilarious race (and walk if you would rather), that is a blast for about the first 20 flights and then starts to hurt...a lot. Adding to the burn of your legs is the dry and dusty air in the emergency stairwell and you can taste a little blood at the finish. All in all it's a blast. There are actually races across the globe in other skyscrapers (Sears Tower, Empire State Building, etc), and i found a site that lists many located here.
My goal was to finish top 10 overall and well; I didn't quite get there but finished 22nd at 9:21. Regardless it's for a good cause and a blast.
What: Race to the top of a really tall building :)
Why: It's about a good cause, a good reason to train and something totally random...and you can give the building a knowing nod every time you drive by.
How: Find info at last year’s race took place on March 16th. Info isn't posted yet for '09, but you can get on the mailing list.