German athlete Thomas Dold wins fifth straight Empire State Building Run-up

1,576 steps in 10 minutes 16 secs

German athlete Thomas Dold wins fifth straight Empire State Building Run-up

Happy feet: Defending champion Thomas Dold of Germany crosses the finish line on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building yesterday to win the 33rd Annual Empire State Building run. Pic/AFP

Grimacing as he lunged across the finish line on the 86th floor observation deck, the 25-year-old from Stuttgart, Germany, beat fellow German Matthias Jahn up the 1,576 steps by 40 seconds.

"I'm so tired. It was quite hard," said Dold. He is the third person to win the race five times. His only loss was a photo finish in his 2005 debut.

Despite his impressive repeat victory, Dold said first place won't be good enough in 2011. "I'm coming back next year for the world record," he added.
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First lady

Melissa Moon (40), of Wellington, New Zealand, placed first among the women in 13 minutes, 13 seconds. She finished panting, but smiling.

"Oh, look at that view!" she said at the top.

It was her first win in the event. Moon, who works at a soup kitchen and counsels the homeless when she isn't scaling tall buildings, said the key to victory in stair climbing is "your ability to tolerate pain."

The unorthodox race has been run 33 times since 1978. Competitors start in the lobby, where they take just a few strides before squeezing through a doorway and into a stairwell for the long climb.

Passing can be difficult. The stairs are only wide enough for two people. Contestants also have to deal with an ear-popping altitude change of 1,050 feet.

Young at heart

Some 162 men and 76 women entered this year. The event draws stair-climbing specialists from around
the globe. Competitors ranged in age group from 18 to 72 years. For Christa Hartmann (68), conquering the iconic building was all about mind over matter. "You run with your mind, not your legs," said Hartmann, a retired professor.

She finished the trek in 26 minutes and 19 seconds. But the intense pain left some runners looking for the elevator.

Gretchen Grindle Hurlbutt (31), of New York, placed second among the women, then posed for photos with her four-month-old baby. She said getting back into shape soon after pregnancy took time. She didn't hit her usual regimen of training miles until Christmas. "I figured I'm good at two things, running and motherhood, so why not?" she said.

Record holder

Paul Crake, an Australian professional racing cyclist, is a five-time winner of the Empire State Building Run-up. He is the current record holder at 9 minutes and 33 seconds and the only athlete to clock under 10 minutes.

1,250 ft
The height of the Empire State Building

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