14 September 2011

Brisbane's first Tower/Stair Race

Wed 4.53am Roo+Lake 10.60km  4m25 K's
8.16am Tower Run 4th Eq 3m35




I fell asleep early Tues night which meant I woke early Wed morning,I wasn't going to go back to sleep so got up at 4.30am! Went downstairs to do my stretches and was greeted by son Oli getting up for Arsenal's Champions League game (I have taught him about commitment).
So it was out early for a steady Roo+Lake and then into work early to run the Queensland Police and Emergency Services  'Great Tower Race' up 111 George St. 
Only 31 stories and 686 steps, I was surprised at the  tight short flights compared with us at 80 George St. My plan was run two steps per stride for as long as I could bear it then survive on one stair per step. Only managed about 6 floors on two steps. Runners went off at 30 second intervals and I was 3rd runner off in a 'self selected' Elite Category . I overtook one chap on the way up which was a tight squeeze. I finished 3rd in the category (equal 4th fastest overall) about 26 seconds off 1st place , my time was 3m35. 

The event told me perhaps I'm not cut out to be a Tower runner! I'd beaten the winner Paul Dodd in Sunday's Bridge to Brisbane by 1min34secs. Still, the view at the top was worth it! The air in the stair well was either very dry of very dusty as myself and  the other competitors seemed to cough up a lung afterwards. I'm fine now though.

2 comments:

Tim said...

Well done Dave good effort, yes those stairs are a tough gig - we do it down here running up CentrePoint Tower, bloody killer.
Talking about your son and Arsenal, i've just had this come through from back home.
Rioters have just stormed JJB Sports in Islington again and returned the Arsenal shirts they took last month.
Cheers

Easy Tiger said...

Ouch, sounds awful.