Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Showtime’s perfect season still on course

Posted: June 15, 2015 in News
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Last weekend Piotr “Showtime” Lobodzinski, the reigning Towerrunning World Champion and 2014 Towerrunning World Cup winner, took another step on the path to an unbeaten season with a win at the SkyRun race in Frankfurt.

MesseTurm in Frankfurt; venue for the SkyRun event on June 14th

MesseTurm in Frankfurt; venue for the SkyRun event on June 14th

The event, which also doubled up as the Towerrunning Germany national championship, attracted a stellar line up that included some of Europe’s top stair climbers. In the mix were well-known Germans Ralf “The Natural” Hascher, Görge “der Stufe Zerstörer” Heimann and Christian “The Flying Doctor” Riedl aka “The Eclipse”. They were joined by Klaus “The Mauerbach Tornado” Hausleitner from Austria, Tomas “The Zilina Avalanche” Celko from Slovakia and “The Sheriff” Omar Bekkali from Belgium.

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The Bull of Bielsk Podlaski blasts over the starting mat on his way to victory in Frankfurt

The day, however, belonged to the Bull of Bielsk Podlaski who powered to the top of the 1,202 steps at the MesseTurm to take his tenth win from ten starts in 2015. His fast time of 6.38 was a little off his own course record of 6.27, but it was just enough to take the win from a resurgent Christian Riedl, who crossed the mat in 6.40. It was the third year in a row that Showtime had taken victory at this event, on a course that really suits him. The third spot was taken by Tomas Celko, who was the last athlete to go under 7 minutes (6.53). A solid race by Hausleitner secured him an impressive fourth spot (7.14), with Bekkali, again showing he is still a force to be reckoned with, sealing the top five (7.19).

The men's podium with Riedl, Lobodzinski and Celko

The men’s podium with Riedl, Lobodzinski and Celko

It was great to see that London-based stair climber Nishad “Big Trek” Manerikar aka “The Maharajah” aka “Jai Manerikar” aka “Perpetual Navigator” was in attendance. Big Trek is from India but lives in London and is arguably the most dedicated stair climber we have here in the UK. He is a regular at the big London races, but also travels extensively and makes sure to factor in some of the European races when he gets a chance. He was at the Towerrunning World Cup final in Vienna at the start of this year, while last year he took part in the three races that made up the European Grand Prix. We had missed him at some of the smaller UK races last year so are pleased to see he is still competing.

A relaxed looking Nishad Manerikar explodes around a corner on his way up the MesseTurm

A relaxed looking Nishad Manerikar explodes around a corner on his way up the MesseTurm

In the ladies section of the race, it was a straightforward enough win for the incredible Suzy “The Lawmaker” Walsham aka “The Title Magnate” aka “Beyond Time”.

A focused Walsham calls forth the strength of ten tigers

A focused Walsham calls forth the strength of ten tigers

Coming off the back of a strong win in Singapore at the end of last month, Walsham dominated a relatively small field of fellow climbers in Frankfurt. She took the win in a time of 7.46, with her nearest rival Iwona “Pole Position” Wicha aka “The Shredded Siren” finishing behind her in 9.09. Manuela “Venom” Hartl (9.19) took third place and, as the first German finisher, the title of Towerrunning Germany champion 2015.

Wicha, Walsham and Hartl with trophies on the podium

Wicha, Walsham and Hartl with trophies on the podium

The question we are all asking is can anybody stop Showtime in 2015? He has taken his performances up a level this season, and though Riedl pushed him close in Frankfurt he is quickly taking on an air of invincibility. We are not yet half way through the year though and there are a lot of buildings still to be climbed. The upcoming European Grand Prix (19-21 June) is going to be very exciting, with the continent’s best all vying to topple the Polish champion.

Last year Lobodzinski won two of the three European Grand Prix races, and finished third in the race up UFO in Bratislava. The UFO building is a short 430 steps, so maybe the sprint format doesn’t suit him as much, but undoubtedly he will be determined to take the clean sweep of victories this year. Celko (winner in Bratislava last year) and Riedl (less than a second behind Showtime in Brno last year) will not let him have it easy, that is for sure.

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Celko creates a storm in Benidorm and The Steel Oath is unbroken

Posted: June 8, 2015 in News
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May 30:

After a couple of weeks break in the American race calendar, there were three events at the end of May; one in Columbia, South Carolina, one in Austin, Texas and the final one in Minneapolis, MN.

Capitol Center in Columbia, South Carolina

Capitol Center in Columbia, South Carolina

In Columbia, around 90 athletes took on the Capitol Center’s 479 stairs. Fastest male on the day was 17 year old Jared “Sweet Tears of the Falcon” Elliot who was the only runner to go sub-3 minutes. The quickest lady was Stacie “The Believer” Weaver in 3.35, which earned her 7th overall.

In Austin, TX there were some big names racing at a two-part event in the city’s Frost Bank Tower. In addition to a single climb up the building’s 660 steps, there were also a hardened crew that took on a double climb option.

Fastest in the solo climb was Eric “North Face of The” Geiger who clocked a speedy 3.20. Winner of the double climb option was West Coast Labels athlete Scott “The Chalice of Thunder” Stanley, who took his second win on the trot. We’re very pleased to see a real turnaround in his season.

The unique looking Frost Bank Tower in Austin

The unique looking Frost Bank Tower in Austin

In Minneapolis, Minnesota it was business as usual for “The Steel Oath” Jason Larson as he took another victory. The event took place at the TCF Bank Stadium, home of the University of Minnesota, and saw competitors take on 6,054 steps. The Steel Oath finished his climb in 34.02, nearly two minutes ahead of his nearest rival.

The biggest race of the day was in Benidorm, Spain where some of the world’s elites converged in battle for crucial ranking points at a Towerrunning World Cup premium race. The event, now in its 13th year, takes place at the Grand Hotel Bali and covers 936 stairs. In attendance were top names that included Omar Bekkali, Ralf Hascher and Dario Fracassi.

Taking the win in a tight race, in which the top four were separated by only 13 seconds, was Tomas Celko. The consistent Celko currently sits second on the Towerrunning World Cup leader board and this win will have given him a bit of a cushion between himself and third placed Christian Riedl.

Omar Bekkali maintained his recent form by taking a bronze position on the podium for the second week in a row, while Spain’s Ignacio Cardona Torres kept the locals happy with his second place finish.

Following her solid win in Paris the weekend before, it was Lenka Svabikova who came out on top in the women’s division. In doing so she became only the second woman at the event to ever run under 6 minutes, and was just three seconds shy of the course record.

Men and women podium finishers in Benidorm: (l-r) Omar Bekkali, Ivonne Martinucci, Lenka Svabikova, Tomas Celko, Ignacio Cardona, Rosi Llorens

Podium finishers in Benidorm: (l-r) Omar Bekkali, Ivonne Martinucci, Lenka Svabikova, Tomas Celko, Ignacio Cardona, Rosi Llorens

The final race of the day was in Kolbnitz, Austria where the daunting task of 8,971 stairs, alongside a mountain railway, stood before a small number of competitors. The event attracted some big names, including Matjaz “The Slovenian Multi-Tool” Miklosa and Germany’s Rudolf “One Shot” Reitberger.

The win however was taken by Richard “Big Ricky Beans” Obendorfer who finished his run up in 54mins 46secs.

The gorgeous setting for the Reißeck Bergbahn stair race in Kolbnitz, Austria

The gorgeous setting for the Reißeck Bergbahn stair race in Kolbnitz, Austria

May 31:

The final two races in May took place in Germany. The first was an inaugural race in Hemer with 466 steps, which was won by Jeroen “Jerry the Chin” Vochteloo in a time of 2.26. The other race was held in Darmstadt and saw Franz “Franky Fingers” Maier from Towerrunning Germany take victory.

Keep climbing!

Showtime wins again and there’s a cheetah in Paris

Posted: June 6, 2015 in News
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The end of May saw a swathe of races that involved some of the biggest names in tower running battling for ranking points. This latest round up of results starts on 28 May in Slovakia, where climbers were running up the historic Strecno Castle, which dates back as far as the 14th century. The sprint race covers 151 steps and must be up there for the award of most picturesque venue for a stair race. It was won in 34.19 seconds by Michal “The Cocktail Maker” Miške. Fastest lady on the day was Emília “The Oligarch’s Governess” Melová who clocked in at 47.15.

The striking Strecno Castle in Slovakia

The striking Strecno Castle in Slovakia

Up in Norway, home of 2014 ESBRU winner Thorbjorn Ludvigsen, the second Barcode Challenge was held in Oslo. The event takes its name from a redeveloped area of the city that is home to several architecturally interesting buildings.

The Barcode Buildings in Oslo

The Barcode Buildings in Oslo

We were surprised to see that Thorbjorn “Again” Ludvigsen hadn’t taken the win, as he has shown his pedigree twice at ESBRU now. But perhaps he favours the longer races as he only managed a 5th place finish at the race up 303 steps. Victory on the day went to Atle ” Come At Me Bro” Mcadam who crossed the mat in a swift 52 seconds.

The following day, 29 May, saw a huge event in Paris at Tour First, the tallest building in France. As the fourth event (of eight) on the 2015 Vertical World Circuit, the race attracted some of the best stair climbers from around Europe, all in search of crucial ranking points. Looking through the photos from the event (available here), it looked like a lot of fun, with Star Wars stormtroopers patrolling the venue, kids sparring each other in boxing rings outside, ridiculously good looking French women flashing coquettish smiles and some loony done up like a cheetah, with his junk hanging out, taking part in the race.

What's this fella up to, hey?

What’s this fella up to, hey?

At the business end of proceedings, current VWC leader Piotr “Showtime” Lobodzinski maintained his unbeaten run in 2015, with a comprehensive win. He was the only climber on the day to go under five minutes, as he reached the top of the 954 stairs in a time of 4.43. The interesting battles were for the remaining podium spots. Second place was taken by in-form David “El Conquistador” Robles Tapia in 5.01, and we were extremely pleased to see the return to form of Omar “The Sheriff” Bekkali who took third in 5.07. He held off challenges from three of central Europe’s finest climbers; “The Wanderer” Majcen, Hascher “The Natural” and “Hannibal” Lechner.

The World's Best: (l-r) Svabikova, Robles Tapia, Hascher, Showtime, unknown, Bekkali, unknown

The World’s Best: (l-r) Svabikova, Robles Tapia, Hascher, Showtime, unknown, Bekkali, unknown

In the ladies division it was plain sailing for VWC leader Lenka “Czech Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself” Svabikova aka “Shredder” aka “Operation Abs”. She won by a country mile in a time of 6.10, which was also good enough to secure her seventh place overall. We are big fans of Svabikova here at Tower Running UK. Not only is she one of the most consistent and exciting stair climbers in the female ranks, she also seems to be a thoroughly nice person. If you happen to watch back some of the post-race clips from the World Championship in Qatar, you will see Svabikova hastily handing out bottles of water to prostrate male elites as they collapsed after the line at the top of The Torch. A humble and generous gesture from a great athlete, which stuck with us.

"Operation Abs" is a go!! The colourful Lenka Svabikova reaches the top in Paris.

“Operation Abs” is a go!! The colourful Lenka Svabikova reaches the top in Paris.

The 2015 season has been fantastic so far, and there are lots more exciting races to come. We look forward to seeing some more decisive battles in the coming months.

Keep climbing.

Walsham victorious in Singapore and Flyin’ Ryan takes Brisbane

Posted: June 4, 2015 in News
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After a second place finish at the world championship in Qatar, back in March, Suzy “The Lawmaker” Walsham returned to form with a win at the 21st National Vertical Marathon in Singapore on 24 May. The popular event is held at One Raffles Place, where climbers race up 63 floors.

One Raffles Place, Singapore

One Raffles Place, Singapore

It was a comfortable win for Walsham, who was the fastest overall on the day and the only athlete to go sub-10 minutes.

Walsham collects her unique winner's prize, which looks like a package of wrapped groceries!!

Walsham collects her unique winner’s prize, which looks like a package of wrapped groceries!?!

On the same day, Walsham’s fellow Australians were maintaining the country’s rich stair climbing tradition at the 4th Climb For Cancer in Brisbane. The 810 step race attracted around 750 competitors and included a range of varied race formats and multiple climb options to keep our step brothers and sisters suitably pacified.

In the elite race there was a battle for bragging rights between two friends, and the heads of Stair Climbing Australia, Adam “Flyin” Ryan and Chris “Quadzilla” Price. It was Ryan who took the win on the day in a time of 4.03, with Quadzilla coming in third in 4.28. Ben “Benny One Pint” Wieczorek was second in 4.22.

Fastest woman on the day, who also earned 8th overall was Anita “Hot” Rodd who topped out in 5.46.

The Stair Climbing Australia crew, with Chris Price (back right) and Adam Ryan (kneeling front)

The Stair Climbing Australia crew, with Chris Price (back right) and Adam Ryan (kneeling front)

We reserve particular praise for prominent ambassador for the sport, Stair Climb Australia athlete, and friend of Tower Running UK, Maria Pia “The Invincible Storm” Piemontese aka Swift Justice aka The Smiling Speedster who came to the fore at the event by securing a well-deserved age group victory. Awesome job!!

Congratulations to all who raced in Brisbane, and in turn raised over $150,000.

Keep climbing!

The Streak continues and Robles wins in Madrid

Posted: June 3, 2015 in News
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The Streak is still going. Piotr “Showtime” Lobodzinski, the reigning Towerrunning World Champion and World Cup winner 2014, remains undefeated in 2015.

He added another victory on 23 May in Wroclaw, Poland at the second Sky Tower Run. The race involved an elimination round followed by a final run up the the Sky Tower’s 1,242 steps, with Showtime coming out on top in both rounds. He was pushed hard by “The Zilina Avalanche” Tomas Celko who took silver, while Poland’s Daniel “Steak Pie” Karolkiewicz took a well earned third by jumping up a place in the final round.

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The men’s podium at the Sky Tower Run 2015

Fastest woman in Wroclaw was Poland’s Dominika “The Rising Sun” Wisniewska-Ulfik who, like Showtime, finished first in both rounds.

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Dominika Wiśniewska-Ulfik tops the podium once again in Poland

In Madrid, Spain there was an inaugural event at the Torre Picasso. Formerly the country’s tallest building, the tower has since been dwarfed by a handful of other skyscrapers, but with 798 steps it still posed a solid challenge for the 616 competitors who climbed.

TorrePicasso

Torre Picasso in Madrid, Spain

International tower running superstar David “El Conquistador” Robles Tapia, who is currently second in the Vertical World Circuit rankings, took a fairly comfortable win in a time of 4.15.

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El Conquistador blasts through the doorway at the top of Torre Picasso to take the win

His nearest rivals were “The Taxman” Alejandro Montero Justo and “The Wanderer” Ralf Majcen, who both finished in 4.43. That’s now three podium finishes on the trot for Majcen, who is having a brilliant season so far.

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The winner’s podium with Montero Justo (l), Robles (c) and Majcen (r).

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The Eclipse returns and Hausleitner takes revenge in Vienna

Posted: June 1, 2015 in News
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Part two of our delayed results catch up, and it’s onto mainland Europe for the two races that happened on 22 May 2015.

The popular Steffi Turnlauf saw a small field of select athletes taking on the 343 stairs of St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. One of the most visited sites in the city, the Cathedral stands on ground that has been used for worship since the mid-1100s. The tightly wound spiral staircase can be walked by the general public, but the crew from Towerrunning Austria turn the stairway to heaven into a stairway to hell once a year as they push their bodies to the limit and sprint all out for victory. We’ve been up the Cathedral’s stone stairwell many years ago, and as we remember it is not the most conducive to smooth climbing. The runners would really be pushed hard to clock fast times.

There were several familiar names in attendance at the event, but the focus was on the ongoing battle between “The Mauerbach Tornado” Klaus Hausleitner and Norbert “Hannibal” Lechner. These guys have been going head-to-head at all of Austria’s stair races for a while now. There most recent encounter was in late April at the Haus des Meeres race where Lechner took victory by less than half a second.

This time around the results were reversed. Hausleitner took the overall win in a time of 1.21, with Lechner in second (1.25). It was a long time coming for The Mauerbach Tornado who had finished 2nd and 3rd in the last two years, and since the race he has stated publicly that his aim for next year is the course record. Brash talk, which we’re sure Hannibal will have something to say about in 2016.

The victorious Hausleitner (centre) and female podium finishers with Lechner (l) and third place Artner (r).

The victorious Hausleitner (centre) and female podium finishers with Lechner (l) and third place Artner (r). Also some priests and a man in a long skirt?? Welcome to Vienna, people!!

In the women’s section, Austrian athlete Sandrina “The Crushing Fist of Severity” Illes took the win in a very fast sub-2 minute time. Her closest rival was Slovenia’s Jasmina “The Expeditious One” Klancnik who was nine seconds behind in 2.07. Congratulations to everyone at Towerrunning Austria for another successful event. They do a fantastic job of promoting the sport.

Over the border in Germany, a name known to many emerged from his self-imposed exile to take part in a race in a town called, wait for it, Bad Wildbad. Tripadvisor suggests that it’s actually rather good and more quaint than wild, but I guess the name was established in the days of expanding empires and served a defensive purpose. It certainly didn’t keep “The Eclipse” Christian Riedl away. After the Eiffel Tower race in March, where he finished 4th, Riedl took a mini-break from tower running to focus on other commitments. He returned to glory in this outdoor race, which follows the staircase alongside the track of the sommerbergbahn; a mountain railway that runs from the town up to one of the surrounding peaks.

The sommerbergbahn in Bad Wildbad

The sommerbergbahn in Bad Wildbad

Riedl covered the 1,987 steps in a time of 8.07.

A smiling Riedl celebrates victory with the fastest woman on the day, Claudia Waidelich

A smiling Riedl celebrates victory with the fastest woman on the day, Claudia Waidelich

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Don Juanahue wins in New York and Showtime’s streak continues

Posted: May 28, 2015 in News
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Yo, what’s up fellow tower running results geeks? It’s been a busy few weeks at Tower Running UK HQ and so we haven’t had the chance to review recent races. But we are back now and are gonna fly through all the action of the last few weeks, over the course of a few posts, where there have been some big races all over the world.

In the words of the Wu Tang Clan, “let’s take it back to ’79”, or more accurately to May 17th, when three races took place. One of these was in Warsaw, Poland where the slayer of the barbarian hordes, the defender of chastity, the Bull of Bielsk Podlaski, Piotr “Showtime” Lobodzinski extended his winning streak with a comfortable victory up the 959 steps of the Hotel Intercontinental in a time of 4.43. Fastest woman on the day was Iwona “The Shredded Siren” Wicha, who also bagged a ninth place overall finish. Zoooooom!!!!

Piotr Lobodzinski in full flight at the Intercontinental Tower Run (©Andrzej Chomczyk - http://www.sztukakadru.pl/)

Piotr Lobodzinski in full flight at the Intercontinental Tower Run (©Andrzej Chomczyk – http://www.sztukakadru.pl/)

Over in New York there was, by all accounts, a great event held at One World Trade Center One for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. As the first fully public stair climb at the building, which has been open for about six months, it attracted a deep field of some of the best climbers from across the USA and beyond. The gruelling race covered 90 floors, with 1,970 stairs.

One World Trade Center in New York City

One World Trade Center, pride of place on the New York City skyline

At the top end of the leader board was the stair climbing triumvirate of the East Coast, who were battling for top honors against some of Europe’s leading stars. Coming out victorious was Tim “The Scarlet Pimpernel” Donahue aka Don Juanahue (11.38) who battled for first place with “The Ghost” aka Sproule ‘Tough” Love aka Viscount Greystoke (11.58). Donahue had already won the inaugural run at Four World Trade Center last year so looks like he is on a mission to collect the whole set.

The Champion Arrives: Tim Donahue taking victory at Four World Trade Center in 2014

The Champion Arrives: Tim Donahue taking victory at Four World Trade Center in 2014

The final podium spot went to “The Wanderer” Rolf Majcen from Austria (12.14), who was coming off the back of a solid win in Hanoi. He narrowly edged out The Schenectady Express (12.20) to scupper an all New York one, two, three.

The ladies section of the race was equally exciting with two of the best stair climbers in the States going head-to-head once more in New York. Back in February at ESBRU, “The Oracle” Stephanie Hucko battled closely for second place with Shari “You Just Got Chicked” Klarfeld aka “The Plainview Panther”, with Hucko nicking the silver spot then by just five seconds.

The battle this time around was just as tightly fought, with The Oracle once again holding off the ever-strong Klarfeld to take the win in a time of 13.57. Klarfeld finished just 11 seconds behind her in 14.08. Tricia “The Triumph” O’Hara aka “San Fran Damn!!” took a well-earned third place.

Congratulations to all who took part in the event. Special mention to the West Coast Labels team who not only dominated the top spots but also took the Top Fundraising team spot, by raising an incredible $26,010.

Over in Malaysia there was a massive turn out for the 14th International Towerthon in Kuala Lumpur. The race took place at the city’s Menara Tower, with competitors tasked with climbing 2,058 stairs.

The Menara Tower in Kuala Lumpur

The Menara Tower in Kuala Lumpur

The top three spots were all taken by Kenyans, with overall victory there going to Enock Kipchirchir Kigen. We gave a knowing nod when we saw that the Kenyans had arrived on the scene. With that country’s rich athletic heritage, especially in the steeplechase and the 5000m, it will be exciting to see if their athletes can make a solid transition into the sport of tower running. Just one of the many things to watch out for as this sport continues to grow in popularity.

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“The Chalice of Thunder” runneth over in Dallas

Posted: May 13, 2015 in News
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Last weekend was a relatively quiet one in the race calendar, with only two events happening. Both these races were in the States, where the season is beginning to slow down a bit.

Dallas, TX was venue for the inaugural Heroes Memorial Climb event at Reunion Tower, where competitors took on two climbs of the 57 floor tower, for a total of 1,674 steps. The event attracted some strong climbers, with the West Coast Labels/X-Gym team sending forth some of its top athletes. There were three waves at the event, with some fast times being clocked in each.

Taking the overall win on the day was “The Chalice of Thunder” Scott Stanley. After a recent lay off from injury, and a couple of results that didn’t match his usual standards, the Euless man returned to competitive climbing on Saturday determined to show he still has what it takes to compete in the top tier of this highly demanding sport. Stanley did just that; clocking the only sub-12 minute time of the day, an impressively fast result for 114 floors. The West Coast Labels athlete is known for his demanding Sufferfest workouts and always makes us mindful of one of our favourite quotes: “He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man”. Beast mode was truly activated this weekend gone so a huge congratulations to the thunderous one!

Scott Stanley celebrates victory, with Reunion Tower in the background

“Thunder” Stanley celebrates victory, with Reunion Tower in the background

In second place was Robert “Anaerobic Abyss” Elliot, while Michael “THIS IS SPARTA!!” Doherty took third.

Fastest woman on the day was Karen “The Cut” Geninatti. The unfathomably fit and shredded climber, and former competitive bodybuilder, came down from Illinois for the race and took victory in a time of 14.43. It’s been a strong season so far for Geninatti, including an impressive performance at March’s World Championship in Doha, Qatar.

"The Cut" poses with fellow Illinois climber Tom McGee

“The Cut” poses with fellow Illinois climber Tom McGee

The other event of the weekend took place at the 37 floor Westin Center in Virginia Beach, VA. Unfortunately, at the time of writing the results were unavailable, so we can’t bring you any ridiculous nicknames for the competitors in that race.

Well done to all who took part in both races.

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Showtime wins in Taipei and “Hannibal” Lechner is on the rise

Posted: May 5, 2015 in News
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There have been some big races lately, with the world’s elite competing at events in Europe and Asia. We want to quickly jump back a couple of weeks to April 23rd, to a race we didn’t get chance to write about at the time, but which involved some of Europe’s top stair runners.

Held in Vienna, the first Haus des Meeres stair race was a very closely run affair, with Austria’s best climbers battling for homeland bragging rights. In a sprint race up just 271 outdoor steps, the top five were separated by a mere five seconds. Taking a well earned victory was the perennially competitive Norbert “Hannibal” Lechner. This guy regularly takes podium places and top-ten finishes at events with the strongest fields around the world. After a disappointing final run at the World Championship in Doha, Lechner had remarked that he had lost a bit of motivation and as a result his training hadn’t been as intense as usual. It seems the slight layoff proved just what he needed as he sprinted to victory in a time of 00: 59.45. He just managed to hold off “The Mauerbach Tornado” Klaus Hausleitner, who finished in 00: 59.75.

Lechner prepares for the challenge of Taipei 101

Lechner prepares for the challenge of Taipei 101

On May 3rd Lechner’s attention turned to the gargantuan challenge of the steeply stepped Taipei 101, currently the fifth tallest buidling in the world. Also taking on the 2,046 steps were world number one Showtime Lobodzinski, Italy’s Emanuele “Il Guerriero” Manzi, “The Meat Cleaver” Petr Novotny from the Czech Republic and a number of talented local climbers. Reigning champion and multi-time winner Mark “The Assassin” Bourne was absent, so it was the perfect opportunity for Showtime to finally take victory at a race in which his previous best finish had been second. And he did just that. The 2014 Towerrunning Champion has been in incredible form recently and it shows no sign of stopping. Second place went to Manzi, also having a brilliant season, with local climber Jun Gu “Pyroclastic Flow” Guo taking a well-earned third. As usual, “Hannibal” was in the mix, finishing a strong 7th.

The top finishers at Taipei 101 celebrate their success

Some of the top finishers at Taipei 101 celebrate their success

In the women’s section there was a good spread of talent on show. Again the reigning champ, Valentina “Atalanta” Belotti, was missing, which denied us the chance to see what would have undoubtedly been a great race between her and 2014 Towerrunning Champion Suzy “The Title Magnate” Walsham. In the end, Walsham took a fairly handy win, with “The Rising Sun” Dominika Wisniweska-Ulfik finishing in second. It was great to see “The Gatekeeper” Cristina Bonacina taking third. “Need For Speed” Cindy Reid, winner in Vietnam a few weeks back, managed a solid fifth.

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Emmie Collinge: Winner in Valtellina

Posted: April 28, 2015 in News
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Stair climbing in the UK doesn’t yet enjoy the popularity it has in other parts of Europe and around the world. For years now our best climber, “The Marauder” Mark Sims has been holding his own against the best in the world. But apart from Sims, British athletes haven’t experienced that much success at global tower running events. Lately, Paul “The Puppet Master” Faulkner and “The Manchester Myth” Andi Jones have been performing excellently at races in the Emirates, and former Ironman world champion Chrissie Wellington managed third place at ESBRU in 2012. But, given the UK’s rich sporting history and broad base of athletic talent it is surprising we haven’t had more success.

Could that be about to change?

Two weeks ago, British athlete Emmie Collinge stormed to victory at the inaugural Valtellina Vertical Tube Race in Italy, in what was her very first stair running event. We don’t use that word “stormed” lightly either. She finished 7th overall, ahead of seasoned stair runners such as Tomas Celko, Dario Fracassi and Milan Wurst! She was nearly a full two minutes faster than the second placed lady! Bear in mind it was her very first stair climb and, as it happens, she turned up at the event in jeans just to cheer on her boyfriend, before getting swept up by the imposing challenge of the course and dashing off to buy a pair of shorts so she could race. Incredible!!

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Emmie Collinge on the climb to victory at Valtellina

To those with an interest in running in the UK, her success may not come as that much of a surprise. Emmie is a highly accomplished athlete with numerous victories to her name. Last summer she won the Lago di Como (65km) and Lago d’Orta (55km) ultramarathons, and in October she was victorious at the very competitive Red Bull Steeplechase (21miles) in the Peak District, winning the women’s section by almost 30minutes. She has a variety of other mountain and road race victories as well, so her caliber is well established. It is well worth reading this article she wrote for the Guardian newspaper about one of her skyrunning experiences.

We caught up with Emmie after her win at Valtellina to find how she found the stair running experience.

TRUK: Hey Emmie, congratulations on your fantastic debut. We know this hasn’t come out of nowhere so can you tell us a bit about your athletic background?

E.C: I ran a lot when I was younger but as soon as I went to university I started to neglect the sport a little. Over the past few years I’ve been slowly getting back into it. I did my first road marathon in October 2013 and that was probably when I first started training ‘seriously’ again. Last spring we moved to the border between Italy and Switzerland for work. Living in the mountains has been really inspiring, and for the first time I started to really enjoy running – for running’s sake and not for competition.

TRUK: How did you find out about the race at Valtellina? Did you do any stair specific workouts in the lead up to it?

E.C: The organisers of the Valtellina Vertical Tube (Marco De Gasperi and Emanuele Manzi, amongst others) also organised an amazing race last November called the Valtellina Wine Trail (21km and 42km), which was such a special race as you ran through wine cellars, past giant barrels, through vineyards etc). Quite unlike any race I’d ever done. Then in March they organised yet another storming race, the Santa Caterina Winter Trail, just 14km at 1,700m across the snowy mountains – incredible. So we knew that the Tube Race was set to be something pretty special.

I was never actually planning to do the race as I’ve been struggling with feet trouble since mid-January and thought that steps would seriously aggravate it. I travelled up there with my boyfriend in jeans and normal ‘street’ trainers but it was so sunny and once we saw the tube from a distance it was just too tempting! So I quickly popped into a shop and bought some shorts, borrowed my boyfriend’s club vest and decided to do it. I had been advising my boyfriend for the past 6 weeks to practice steps but we don’t have many near us and he didn’t think it would be that useful.

TRUK: So what does a typical week of training look like for you?

E.C: When my feet are normal I run every day, usually about 10-12 hours a week. I’d love to do more but work commitments keep me tied to the computer for too long each day. I rarely do intervals or road sessions, but I love running uphill on the small, but incredible, mountain behind our house.

TRUK: Can you describe the race for us, please? How did you pace it?

E.C: Normally I get really nervous but as I went to the race completely unprepared – I considered myself quite unfit so wasn’t expecting anything spectacular – I was far more relaxed than usual.

I started off running two at a time, but only very briefly! Then I just tried to be as light as possible and keep running. The crowds were incredible and that really helped – although perhaps too much initially as I think I started a bit quick. After a while I ended up a bit like a monkey and clambered, trying to spring up two at a time. It was so steep that I had to have my hands on the steps in front. Stumbled a few times as soon as I lost concentration. It was quite scarily steep! Not knowing where the finish was, or having any idea of how long it should take me, it was quite hard to judge my pace and I had more capacity left in me when I finished.

TRUK: What are your plans for the future now? Do you think you will be signing up for more stair runs, or are they just something you might do occasionally between your main races?

E.C: Definitely quite curious to try some stair races, I like my running to stay varied and fun so they’d be a welcome variation.

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Workman finally exorcises “The Ghost” in Hartford

Posted: April 27, 2015 in News
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Every sport has its great rivalries. Those match ups that raise the pulse and stir the passions. Of course everyone knows about Ali and Frazier, Celtics and Lakers, Real Madrid and Barcelona, Sampras and Agassi. But how about Love and Workman?

The two future Hall of Famers both come from The Empire State. “The Schenectady Express” Alex Workman takes his nickname from his home city, which sits around 165 miles north from the famous Big Apple, home to Sproule “The Ghost” Love.

The lean, rangy and relaxed figure of The Ghost, with his libertine locks and effortless cool stands in contrast to the impressively muscled physique of The Express, with his closely cropped hair, steely focus and scientific approach. Two different paths, but they are both on the journey to greatness.

For a number of years now, these two giants of the stair climbing world have clashed at races around the United States. Prior to the race in Hartford, CT last Saturday, the pair’s most recent clash was at the USA Stair Climbing championships at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas. It was Love who took the honors that day.

Sproule Love works hard to avoid Workman's famed 'Fatigue Inducing Stare' at the start line of the 2015 Scale the Strat.

Sproule Love (r) works hard to avoid Workman’s (l) famed ‘Fatigue Inducing Stare’ at the start line of the 2015 Scale the Strat, while John Osborn (center) wills him on.

It is just over three years since the pair first met at the popular NYC race at One Penn Plaza. By this point Sproule Love’s reputation in the stair running world was well established. He had podium finishes at ESBRU, a course record at Sears/Willis Tower and a spread of other victories from events across the USA. In contrast, Workman was a relative newcomer to the sport, with less than a year of racing to his name. While he had already established a reputation with a win at the John Hancock Tower in Boston, he was still some way off from the force he would soon become.

The Ghost and The Schenectady Express meet for the first time

The Ghost and The Schenectady Express meet for the first time

Workman describes that meeting on his blog here. He was second that day at Penn Plaza, and he would be second again a few months later in 2012 when the two met again for their first clash in Hartford. The Ghost set a course record at that race, scaling the 38 floors of City Place 1 in a time of 3:07. Workman held off strong challenges from fellow East Coast titans Tim Donahue and David Tromp to take the silver in 3:20. “The Schenectady Express” had arrived! The foundations for a brilliant rivalry were now firmly set, and those foundations would be built upon in several races over the next three years.

The following year, 2013, the pair would face off again in Hartford. Once more The Ghost showed his power, taking the win in 3:16. Workman finished third that year, with Sproule’s sometime training partner, and East Coast powerhouse, Tim “Boulders for Shoulders” Donahue taking second.

In 2014, Workman finally took the win in Hartford. However, both Love and Donahue were missing that day. This surely rankled the highly competitive Workman, who would have felt his victory lessened slightly with the absence of his most well known adversaries.

City Place 1 in Hartford, CT

City Place 1 in Hartford, CT

Saturday 25 April 2015. Climbers gathered at City Place 1, for the 8th Fight For Air Climb, Hartford. At the start line were Love, Workman and the most recent addition to the brilliant NY vs. MA rivalry, Adam “The Great Artiste” Cellemme. The Artiste had pushed Workman hard in Boston earlier in the year, before going on to take a number of victories at events in New England, often clashing with “The Beast from the East” Stephen Marsalese. He would certainly be in the mix.

Surely buoyed by a strong showing at the World Championship in Doha, Workman finally turned a corner and powered through the course in 3:17, setting a new PR by 3 seconds!! Victory was his!! The Ghost was just behind, in 3:19, a time which would have earned him first place in probably every single previous Hartford race. But this was to be Workman’s day.

It must be a fantastic feeling for the The Express to finally get victory over Sproule Love, who has stood between him and ultimate glory on numerous occasions. Their rivalry is great for our sport. They are both brilliant ambassadors for everything stair running is about. Congratulations Alex on your win, but stay vigilant and train hard, because The Ghost is always there.

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The Future is here, the Steel Oath speaks and Gorgeous Görge wins in Calgary

Posted: April 24, 2015 in News
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The Future is here, the future is now. We have written numerous times now about the talents of Troy “The Future” Alston. We have asked, “can he be beaten in Florida?” With four straight back-to-back wins in his home state, including two over the current highest ranked male stair climber in the USA, Thomas Scott, he answered that question unequivocally. Last weekend, in a move that should make stair climbers along the east coast sit up and take notice, The Future began his march out of Florida as he headed north into Georgia. It was a race in Atlanta that drew the aspiring Olympian out of home territory, with climbers gathering at One Ninety One Peachtree Tower to take on its 1,050 stairs for the ALA.

It was a two-horse race on the day with Alston winning in 6:45; pushed hard by “The Monk” Victor Serrano, who finished just five seconds behind. This is Alston’s fifth win of the season, which is a very impressive record. We look forward to seeing him heading further up the country, or out west, to take on some of the other top ranked climbers in the States.

Alston wasn’t the only one maintaining form last weekend. In Minneapolis, The Steel Oath added another win to his incredible 2015 record of podium places. He was taking part in the two-climb event at Capella Towers, where competitors covered a total of 95 floors and 2,280 stairs. With a total time of 13:22, Larson demonstrated his elite status by being the only athlete to go sub-14minutes. Taking silver on the day was “Chiseled” Christopher Pfarr in 15:22. Third place was taken by Larson’s “Broken Elevator” team mate, David “Relentless Fury” Hanley. His is a performance worthy of note. Hanley narrowly missed out on qualification for the World Championship final in Doha last month, while racing against the world’s elite. To bounce back right away and get a podium spot is what champions do. Awesome job by the Relentless one!!

The winning Broken Elevator team (from L-R: Jason Larson, Nam Truong, Brent Larson, David Hanley)

The winning Broken Elevator team (from L-R: Jason Larson, Nam Truong, Brent Larson, David Hanley)

The fastest lady up in Minneapolis was Kari “The Garden of Turbulence” Lundberg, who earned an overall top ten spot in the process! Boom!!

Arguably the biggest race of last weekend’s spread of North American events was the Power Hour challenge at the Climb for Wilderness event at Calgary Tower in Canada. This event attracted international athletes and some elite climbers from the USA also headed north to see how many climbs they could manage up and down the building’s 802 steps. The winner on the day was Germany’s Görge “der Stufe Zerstörer” Heimann who managed five climbs in 49:54. Also completing five climbs were Jonathan “Jonny the Jaw” Heinz (58:39) and “The Schenectady Express” Alex Workman (59:57). In the women’s section the win was taken by in-form athlete Veronica “The Claw” Stocker who managed four climbs in 55:12. Shannon “Red River” Magee came second, also with four climbs, in 58:26. Madeleine “Silken Vengeance” Fontillas Ronk maintained her excellent form in 2015 by taking third place.

The elite climbers who took on the Calgary Tower Power Hour (L-R Veronica Stocker, Görge Heimann, Napoleon Woo, Zivadin Zivkovic, Alex Workman, Madeleine Fontillas Ronk)

The elite climbers who took on the Calgary Tower Power Hour (L-R Veronica Stocker, Görge Heimann, Napoleon Woo, Zivadin Zivkovic, Alex Workman, Madeleine Fontillas Ronk)

Well done to all who climbed last weekend, and best of luck to every one racing this coming weekend.

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Dematteis wins in Valtellina and joy in Hanoi for Majcen

Posted: April 19, 2015 in News
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The worldwide appeal of our ever-rewarding sport was on show this Saturday with races in Asia, North America and Europe. Some of the best climbers around laced up their shoes, adjusted their metronomes and said “how do you do?” to their old friend lactic acid, as they tackled varied buildings and race formats in Canada, Vietnam, Germany, Italy and the USA.

We’ll kick things off in Radebeul, Germany where a crew of hardened souls were taking on a step-marathon that matched the elevation of Mount Everest. We can’t quite make sense of the results right now but you can take a look here to see what was going on. Looks like there might have been some sort of 24hour race option there too. We heard a rumour that some guys have a strategically placed slop bucket to save themselves the ‘hassle’ of going to the proper toilet, which is a bit of a walk from the stairs. Dedication or savagery? Let us know in the comments section below!! Anyway, well done to all who braved that challenge. We salute you!

Down in Valtellina, Italy, there was the first Vertical Tube Race. This had received quite a lot of pre-race attention and attracted a strong field of athletes. They even had this awesome promo video doing the rounds in the run up to the event too.

Look at those stats!! 60% incline (in parts), 2,700 steps and 500m of vertical ascent. It looked and sounded like it was going to be a brilliant event.

Taking the win on the day was Italy’s Bernard “Ultimate Ascent” Dematteis in 14:02. The name might sound familiar, and that would be because he came third at the Eiffel Tower run up last month. Big Bernie is a very successful mountain runner and is making a strong transition to stair running, with back-to-back podium finishes. Hot on his trail was the ever-competitive Emanuele “Il Guerriero” Manzi who took second in 14:50, with Alex “Popeye” Baldaccini making it a clean sweep for Italy by finishing third in 15:02. This race is firmly on our stair climb wish list! For those of you who are into this sort of thing you can re-watch the race by clicking here. Be warned it’s a single camera shot, so there isn’t that much to see and the runners look pretty beat up by the time they reach the point of filming.

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The lean figure of Bernard Dematteis during a mountain running event

There were shouts of “gooooood morning Vietnam” (probably) ringing out in the stairwell of Hanoi’s Landmark 72 on Saturday too. Climbers there were taking on 1,914 steps in the quest for victory, and top honours went to the ubiquitous Austrian Rolf “The Wanderer” Majcen, who smashed the race with a sub-11 minute finish. Surely, The Wanderer has by now secured some sort of record for the most international stair races completed? This master climber is the Phileas Fogg of the stair climbing world, and shows no signs of letting up as he consistently gets podium places and wins.

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“The Wanderer” powering up the stairs at London’s Vertical Rush

Victory in the women’s section was reserved for another outsider as Australia’s Cindy “Need for Speed” Reid charged to the top in 14:33, which also earned her a top-10 overall spot. Cindy is an experienced personal trainer who lives in Hong Kong, where she is a Director of The HIT Room. It seems Australian domination of the Asian tower running scene isn’t limited to Suzy Walsham. Good going Cindy!!

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“Renegade” Osborn takes victory at AON

Posted: April 15, 2015 in News
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There was a five-race extravaganza in the USA this past weekend, with climbs happening in L.A., Sacramento, Little Rock, Boston and Alexandria, VA.

The tallest climb of the weekend was the popular Fight For Air event at the AON Center in downtown Los Angeles. Some familiar names from the ranks of the West Coast’s elite climbers were decked out in their sleeveless, dri-fit finery as they prepared to tackle the 1,393 steps.

Building on an impressive placing at the Strat last month was the super-speedy John “Renegade” Osborn, who took the overall win with in a time of 8:39. Just behind him was “The Widowmaker” Jeff Dinkin, who took an impressive 23 seconds off his previous best time while finishing in 9:01. In third place was the “The Irvine Berzerker” Chris Whitney (9:10).

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The rapid “Renegade” in full flow at a past event

There were some fast times among the ladies on the day too with Julie-Rae “The Step Slayer” Steinmeyer taking victory in the women’s section in a time of 10:25, with “The Eternal Blossom” Veronica Stocker (10:53) taking second and “The Chosen One” Lisa Zeigel rounding out the podium in third (12:38).

"Excuse me Lisa, what time is it?" " IT'S ZEIGEL TIME BABY!!!"

“Excuse me ma’am, do you have the time please?” ” IT’S ZEIGEL TIME, BABY!!!”

Saturday also saw climbers in Sacramento taking on the 612 steps of the Wells Fargo Center for the American Lung Association. Quickest on the day there was “Dr. Jekyll” Robert Hyde, evidently transforming into some sort of beast when he enters a stairwell, who took the win in 5:06. Just four seconds behind him was Vadim “The Elevator Racer” Koval, with Joseph “Joey Nuts” Robles taking third.

Taking the top spot in the women’s section was America “the Beautiful” Whalen with Catherine “Eat Your Damn Greens” Velez coming in second. These two speedsters were the only women on the day to go sub-6 minutes. Zoooom!!! Yayoi “Woman of the Wind” Whetstone took bronze.

The final set of Saturday results from the USA come from Little Rock, Arkansas where steppers headed to the War Memorial Stadium. We’re not entirely sure what the format there was but we do know that Sheila “The Glove” Fitts was the fastest lady and “Drive By” Andrew Cyrus was the overall winner.

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Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium

There was also an event in Slovakia on Saturday, with climbers taking on the 21 floors of the European Business Centre. At the time of writing we were unable to access the results, but we believe “The Zilina Avalanche” Tomas Celko took second. There is a race video, with various clips from the build up and awards ceremony, on YouTube, which you can watch here.

On Sunday there was a climb in Boston, at One International Place, where two of the biggest names from the East Coast went head-to-head in the battle for top spot. Continuing his brilliant start to the season and adding another victory to his name was “The Stringer of Orpheus’ Harp” Adam Cellemme. He managed to push “The Beast from the East” Stephen Marsalese into second. Both these guys have had a really good season so far, and we’re really enjoying watching the growing rivalry between the New Yorkers and the Bay Staters. It’s getting like the Bloods and the Crips up in those parts. Tense!!

The weekend’s final race was in Alexandria, VA where the showcase event was the double climb, during which competitors took on two rounds of the building’s 28 floors. Fastest on the day was well-known climber Michael “The Sword of the Stairwell” Karlin who completed his two climbs in a mere 4:41. Very fast climbing there from the Tower Masters athlete.

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“The Sword of the Stairwell” cuts through another flight on his way to victory

Congratulations to all who took part and best of luck to those racing this coming weekend.

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Showtime Lobodzinski crowned Towerrunning World Champion

Posted: March 31, 2015 in News
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The Towerrunning World Championships took place last weekend in Doha, Qatar. In the most competitive stair running field ever assembled, athletes took on three climbs, over two days of racing, to determine who would be crowned world champion.

The Torch in Doha, venue for the World Championships

The Torch in Doha, venue for the World Championships

Action began on Friday morning with an open race up the building’s 1,304 to determine the 30 competitors that would advance to the second round later in the day, and Saturday’s final. This race threw up no surprises and the list of finalists contained all the elite runners.

In the men’s section it was reigning Towerrunning champion Piotr “Showtime” Lobodzinski who took an early lead, with Australians Mark “The Canberra Assassin” Bourne and “Optimus Climb” Darren Wilson close behind him.

Also in the mix were “Fearless” Frank Carreño, “The Zilina Avalanche” Tomas Celko and Matjaz “The Slovenian Multi-Tool” Miklosa. To give you some perspective on how strong a field it was, British athlete “The Manchester Myth” Andi Jones (albeit not a stair climb specialist) who has a sub-30min PB for 10k and a 2:15 marathon PB was no way near being in contention for the top spots.

Neither were Olympian Will “The Dark” Clarke and his colleague Romain “Centurian” Guillaume, pro-triathletes from the Uplace-BMC team. The caliber of athletes in this race was astounding. These guys are fast!!

This gentleman was so fast he out ran his own shoes as he powered away from the start line!

This gentleman was so fast he out ran his own shoes as he powered away from the start line!

The first race of the day (51 floors) was followed by a shorter race (30 floors) in the afternoon to determine the starting order for Saturday’s final. The shorter course seemed to favour the European athletes who narrowed the gap slightly and closed in on the top three.

“Showtime” made no mistake about assuring pole position for the final and took another win. He was followed by Carreno, Celko, Miklosa and Macecek. Positions were now set for the final, which would begin in an F1 style grid format. Lobodzinski was pole, Carreño 2nd, Bourne 3rd, Celko 4th, Miklosa 5th and, having finished 3rd in the first round, “Optimus Climb” 6th.

The inaugural Towerrunning World Championships final gets underway

“And they’re off!!” The inaugural Towerrunning World Championships final gets underway

The final began with a 150m run into the stairwell, with positions throughout the field changing drastically before the athletes even hit the stairs. As expected Lobodzinski maintained his position at the front the whole way up and reached the top to be crowned the very first Towerrunning World Champion, while Bourne managed to leapfrog Carreño. and regain second place.

The most impressive turnaround of the day was the work put in by “Optimus Climb” who went from being 6th on the grid, behind the likes of Celko and Miklosa, to finishing in third. Brilliant effort from the Adelaide man.

The top three celebrating after the race. Check out the vascularity and the delts on Darren Wilson!!

The top three celebrating after the race. Does “Optimus Climb” have a licence for those guns!??!

With the first fully televised stair race happening the weekend before at the Eiffel Tower in Paris and now the fully stacked World Championships in Doha successfully completed, our sport is really coming into its own. It is clearly gaining in popularity and the top athletes are proving they are as fit and dedicated as those from any sporting discipline you care to mention.

In the likes of Bourne, Wilson and Lobodzinski we have some fine ambassadors for stair climbing and the future looks very bright. Congratulations to all who took part in Doha.

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