After my first 5k back in 2006, I had a lot of fun. There weren't really as many races as there are right now so I wasn't quite sure what my next step should be. My roommate at the time convinced me that we should sign up for Hustle Up the Hancock. The event sold out quickly, you needed to raise money for charity, and climb a crapload of stairs. But it would be fun, I figured, so I committed to doing it.
The event was in February but I had absolutely no clue how to prepare for this type of event. Being the competitor I am, I signed up for a free trial at a local gym, laced up some old gym shoes leftover from probably high school, and hit the stair master. I figured out how many flights of stairs it would be to reach the top so I trained and I trained on the boring stair machine 3-4 times a week until "race day" came.
When it came to race day fashion, I am happy to report that I didn't wear the race shirt. I wore the shirt from my first 5k completed the previous year. (That 5k is the Jim Gibbons 5k in case you're curious. I ran it last year and it is still a great event!)
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| Before they had fancy non-slip glitter headbands, I wore non-slip headband from Goodys. They were terrible but a 3 pack was less than $5. |
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| My roommate and I pre-race. |
My roommate and I had the same start time so we started the event together. Turns out she hasn't been hitting the stair machine as diligently as me and has historically had knee issues so she wasn't having too much fun when we got started. Since we had signed up together, I thought it was appropriate that we finish together. We kept each other motivated as we aimed to reach the top, which we did.
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| The start |
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| The finish |
I have no idea of our time or what a time even signifies on a stair climb. Either way, I had fun and earned my first race medal (outside of HS track and field stuff).
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| Finisher Photo |
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| Because it looks believable |
I really had a fun time at this race and it got me ready for my first Shamrock Shuffle the following month. The downfall? I don't think my knees have been the same since then. I have no desire to do another stair climb event for that reason, but I proudly wear my long-sleeved cotton tee from that event (even if the arms are too short). This event still takes place every year if you're interested in participating! (Check out their website here.)
Have you ever done a stair climbing event? Did you have fun? Did your knees suffer like mine did??
Have you ever done a stair climbing event? Did you have fun? Did your knees suffer like mine did??
