There is a touch of the enigmatic about Sproule Love. “The Ghost” often just appears, taking a win here and a course record there, haunting the ranks of stair climbers in the USA.
His dominant streak continued on Sunday morning as he finished first in a field that contained some of the strongest and fastest climbers in America.
1,391 steps stood between climbers and the coveted title of USA Stair Climbing Champion. With 2014 champ Alex “The Schenectady Express” Workman in attendance it was clear that claimants to the crown were going to have to really earn it. Sproule Love certainly did that, as he bounded up in a time of 7:22.
“The Ghost” on his way to victory
Here is a great mini-doc on Sproule Love that includes clips of him training (with a cameo from Tim Donahue).
Workman managed to take five seconds off his time from last year and finished in second place, crossing the mat in 7:51. The year-on-year consistency of The Express is so impressive. We recommend all readers to follow his blog, where you will find insights into the world of elite level stair climbing, as well as some of the most comprehensive stair climb-specific training advice available anywhere on the internet. Trust us, we’ve looked.
Going one better than his fourth place finish last year, and shaving off 12 seconds from that race, was 3rd place John “Renegade” Osborn in a time of 7:56 (his strong finish can be seen here in the first 10 seconds of this news piece on the event). We have to mention “The Steel Oath” Jason Larson who came in a speedy 4th place, after taking a win up in Minneapolis the morning before. What an absolute machine!!!
In the women’s division “The Oracle” Stephanie Hucko followed up on her second place finish at ESBRU to take the honors in a time of 8:52. As a highly successful triathlete, and it seems complete all round sportswoman, she has transitioned seamlessly into stair running and has made a massive impression already this year. We look forward to following her progress in 2015. Second place went to Evelyn “The Dream Catcher” Wisniewski in 10:02, with “The Bellingham Bullet” Kacie Cleveland storming to third place, just a second behind, in 10:03.
The West Coast Labels team took group honors, with most of the fastest climbers on the day wearing the team’s colours.
A selection of the West Coast Label athletes who took part in Scale the Strat
A special mention has to go to an incredibly inspirational climber in Las Vegas on Sunday. New Zealander Jordon “Auckland Fury” Milroy has cerebral palsy, which impairs his movement, but has evidently had zero impact on his courage and endurance. He is on a mission to climb the world’s tallest towers in a bid to raise awareness about disability. You can follow his progress and offer your support by liking his Facebook page.
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