NYRR Empire State Building Run-Up Powered By The MMRF
Training and Tips from a “Tower Champ” John Korff
Got a Question? Call John 212-691-2200 or e-mail [email protected]
Introduction
This note is designed to help you train for the Empire State Building Run-Up (ESBRU). Training can
include climbing in a staircase, running up hill, biking up hill, using a stair master; and supplemented by
core training, weights, and/or general fitness. The best training is climbing stairs in a tall building. The
second best training is climbing stairs in a tall building. Get it?
King Kong did it. You can too. There is no secret recipe: its one foot after the other.
Finishing Times
Finishing times in a marathon range from 2:30 to 7:00 hours. Finishing times in the ESBRU range from
12 minutes to 25 minutes. You could climb to the top tomorrow in 30 minutes.
Goal Setting – Get Real
Likely you are not going to win the race. Most of you are climbing to raise money for an excellent cause,
general winter fitness, try something different, brag to your buddies, or just to say ‘I beat the gorilla’.
It’s hard to have a time goal unless you’ve previously done the ESBRU. Your friends won’t understand if
your 16:11 finishing time is 16 minutes or 16 hours.
What’s so tough About Stair Climbing?
Nothing. You’ll be done in 20-30 minutes. The hardest part about the ESBRU is that you will be in
oxygen debt (max out of breath) the entire way to the top. That’s not a hard thing to deal with. You can
practice or suck it up on race day. Easy breezy.
Getting Started
Practice by climbing in a stair case. Sorry, no getting around the stair case. The stair master doesn’t cut
it. Find a tall building (30+ stories) where you can get into the stair case. In our post 9/11 world, many
great buildings are inaccessible or have self locking exit doors. This means (1) you have to have a good
BS wrap or (2) carry duct tape and a door jam. There is nothing more frustrating than climbing up 30
stories only to see that the exit door says “exit only on the first floor”.
A Few Tips:
1. Find a tall building you can get into. Ideally 30+ stories. 50+ is Wimbledon.
2. Apartment, hotel or your office, inside staircase or out – tall is the operative word. Ask a pal
who lives in a tall building if you can climb in his building.
3. DO NOT RUN in practice. You’re not that good. If you start sprinting in your first workout you’ll
get injured (jumper’s knee) and discouraged. You have to build your quads and the muscles
around your knees before you can sprint. Besides, who needs to sprint? Its 96 stories to the
top. Walking to the top is plenty hard. Phew, relax.
4. Walk up the stair case one step or two steps at a time. If you’ve got long legs you can do two
steps. This is not hard to figure out.
5. Do not use the hand rail in practice. The goal is to build up your legs and lungs. Using the hand
rail is easier but you’re not building your legs or lungs as much if you use on the hand rail. Okay,
so use the hand rail if you have to.
6. A ‘good’ workout in a 30 story building is climbing up and then taking the elevator down. Start
by doing this four times/workout and build up to six sets. Do a set of 40 sit-ups and planks while
waiting for the elevator. (Sure). Stretch your quads in the elevator. And shake your legs if they
aren’t already shaking.
7. Always take the elevator down. Do not walk down. If you fall going up you’ll catch yourself in
18 inches without injury. If you fall going down you’ll fall two body lengths. Ouch.
8. If you train in a 30-50 story building 3-6 reps/workout, three times/week for six weeks you’ll do
great. If the best you can do is a 12 story building, then do 6-10 sets 3x/ week for 4-6 weeks.
9. You’ll be more out of breath than you will suffer from muscle fatigue. While it’s good to have
strong legs (quads, gluts, calves) it’s far more important to have your wind. This comes from
climbing stairs. If the competition were doing 1,000 jumping jacks then you’d train by doing
jumping jacks. This event is a stair climb so go find a stair case. Those stadiums from high
school are nothing. Thirty two rows (64 steps) to the top? Pshaw. The ESBRU is nearly 1900
steps. And you’re not in high school.
What is Oxygen Debt?
1. You can’t get enough air but you have to keep going.
2. What happens in oxygen debt? You can’t breathe, think, count, or talk. Gee, fun. Practice.
3. Even the stud guys go thru oxygen debt. You will too. That’s the joy of climbing stairs.
No Building – Now what do I Do?
1. GET CREATIVE. Ask a friend if you can climb in his stair case. Figure it out.
2. Do regular runs that include steep uphill climbs. Sorry, this is an up race so get used to it.
3. Biking uphill outside is great (spinning inside is second best). Biking engages similar muscles as
stair climbing.
4. Stairmaster or Stair Climber – better than nothing. Use the stair master 3x/week for 30
minutes, NO HANDS, don’t worry about the pace. Go as fast/slow as you feel comfortable but
use your legs, do not hold on. You may have to build up to 30 minute/no hands. Don’t pay
attention to the ‘flights climbed’ readout. Those aren’t real flights. Don’t touch the machine;
legs only.
5. Regardless of where you train, you should supplement your work outs with sit-ups, stretching,
and general quad strengthening – about 10-15 minutes daily. This is a muscle specific race. If
you do upper body lifting, then convert to high rep, very low weight. Why carry all that extra
bulk to the top? You’re not trying to look like the Incredible Hulk.
What to Wear in Practice/How to Get Into Buildings/Cell Phone and Wallets
1. T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers. You’ll sweat like a sauna. Don’t wear sweats, hats, or leg weights.
2. Don’t carry anything in your hands. You need your hands if you fall or need to use the hand rail.
3. If you practice in your office building or apartment building, carry a door jam or piece of duct
tape. First, take the elevator to the top floor where you will exit from the staircase. Open the
door. If the door is locked from the inside, place a piece of tape over the lock or put the door
jam in place. Second, take the elevator to the lowest floor where you can get into the stair case,
go in and walk down to the bottom floor, and climb to the top. Take the elevator back down
and start over again.
4. If you train in your apartment building then change clothes in your apartment. Take a bottle of
water and leave it in the stair case. Don’t carry it (see #2).
5. If you train in your office, bring clothes (see #1) and sweats to change into after working out.
Also, make sure you can get out of the stair case at the top (see #3). You may need to carry your
building pass. Change in your office, walk to the stair exit, if you can get out on your floor then
likely you can get out on all the floors except perhaps the top floor. That’s okay. Climb to the
top, turn around, walk down until you find a floor where you can get out, get out, take the
elevator down and do this six times. And don’t forget a bottle of water (see #4).
6. You have to be good at BS. Security guards and doormen may look askance since they won’t
understand what you’re doing. You can tell (don’t ask) your building doorman what you’re
doing. But it’s always better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Minimize your explanation.
“I’m just going to walk up.” “I think I dropped my sweat shirt.” “I’ll be right down.” If you don’t
start in the lobby you avoid providing explanations.
7. Security guards can’t catch you. They are big beefy guys in a uniform. You’re light, fit, and
wearing shorts.
8. If you can sneak into a tall building but have no place to change then wear your work clothes
and carry a gym bag with your workout clothes and sweats (remember?). Take the elevator to
the third floor, go in the stair well, and change clothes. Put your work stuff in the gym bag,
leave it in the stair well, and start climbing.
9. Wallet and cell phone – you don’t need money and your phone won’t work. If you’re scared to
leave your wallet and cell phone in your gym bag on a landing then wear shorts with pockets,
put both in a baggy, and put the baggy in your pocket. Awkward but it works. And turn your
phone off.
Is It Safe In a Staircase?
Muggers don’t hang out in stair cases. You may encounter a kid smoking pot (apartment), a cleaning
lady smoking cigarettes (office), people getting it on (office, ugh), toys (apartment) or burned out light
bulbs. No sunshine, blue skies, good views, or danger.
What You Don’t Need to Worry About
1. What if I have to go to the bathroom in training? Go. Find a bathroom or use the staircase.
Stair climbing is not a sport for wimps.
2. How will I feel at the end of the race? Out of breath. You’ll recover in five minutes. Your legs
won’t hurt. You’ll think you should have gone faster. If you push hard you’ll have an amazing 36
hour adrenaline rush.
3. Can I use the hand rails in the race? Absolutely! Lean forward (not down) and pull yourself up
when you step. If you want to develop the right muscles to pull for 20 minutes then do low
rows (light weight, high rep) and curls (same).
4. What if I have to drop out of the race? No one drops out. Its only 25 minutes, remember?
5. What else do I need to know about the ESBRU? Nothing, go train.
Enough Information
Don’t over complicate the training. Practice in a stair case. The rest is blah, blah, blah.
Climb 86 flights. Brag for the rest of your life.