MAKING A
DIFFERENCE SPECIAL
D SPECIAL RACE THE WORLD SPECIAL RACE THE WORLD SPECIAL
THE VERTICAL RUSH
Fiona, Nick and Ted took on Tower 42 on March 3rd 2011. Fiona recalls the run
“Coughing, spluttering, stunned expressions on faces,
sweat, bodies lying flat-out… The scene at the top of Tower 42 in the City of London was like one from a disaster movie. ‘I think I might be coughing up blood,’ I heard one man say, as I tasted blood in my own mouth. I rose up from my breathless, hands-on-knees position and looked out the window – and there was London! I could see winding little streets, office buildings, the Thames, statues and ant-like people moving through the streets going about their business. What a view! “And what a run. Or should that be climb? It was unlike
anything I’ve done before, and such good fun. We’d assembled at the bottom less than 10 minutes before, and here we all were having run up 920 steps, coughing, spluttering, gasping – and (eventually) smiling. “The race is organised by Shelter, the charity that raises
money for homeless people. 950 runners took part, entering as individuals or as part of a team. From 7:30am runners set off in eight waves, with a wave starting every hour until 2:30pm. Participants run up 42 floors to reach Vertigo 42, a champagne bar with magnificent views of the city. Runners are invited to a reception, including a celebratory drink and refreshments, to find out the all-important results posted on a big screen. “Our wave was the busy lunchtime slot of 12:30pm, and it
was clear that many of the runners had nipped out of work to do something different for lunch – as well as helping raise thousands of pounds for Shelter. “The atmosphere at the bottom of the stairwell was one of anticipation. Clearly most of the runners had no idea what lay ahead and what they were stepping ‘up’ to. “Congestion is avoided by streaming runners in batches
of 10. The race is chip-timed and once you step over the mat, you’re off – upwards! “I decided to just go for it. For some reason I chose not to hold onto the handrail, and use my arms in a sprinting fashion. I’ve since discovered this is the complete opposite of what would have been the best technique! “I kept my head down, but if I’d lifted it I would have been
greeted with some cheery little messages. Fellow runner Ted told me he’d seen ‘You’re now as high as the Eiffel Tower’, and of course I could have checked what floor I was on.
I didn’t hold the handrail – the complete opposite of the best technique!
“As it was, I lost count of
everything and by half way felt completely disorientated – what I described to Ted and Nick over lunch afterwards as ‘a surreal and out of body experience’. I realised I was just working at a very intense
level, very different to my usual marathon training plod. I pulled myself together and pushed on, motivated to keep working by a tussle with a fellow woman runner (I overtook her, she overtook me, I overtook her, she beat me on the last flight of stairs!). I was very pleased with the position of eighth woman, reaching the top in 7:21. Nick ran 8:20 and Ted, who’s coming back from injury, was pleased to get up in 12 minutes. Amazingly, the winner, Fabio Ruga, climbed the tower in 4:24 and the lead woman, Cristina Bonacina, completed the race in 6:02!” For information vist:
http://england.shelter.org.uk/what_ you_can_do/events_and_challenges/vertical_rush.
RUNNING FREE ■ 37
RACES
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