The Empire State Building Run-Up: Enjoy The Pain

Wednesday night was the 36th Annual Empire State Building Run-Up. 738 runners came together to run 86 stories to the observation deck of Manhattan’s tallest building.

I’ll admit, I was nervous the entire day leading up to the race. I had never done anything like it before. And falling twice within three minutes of the start didn’t help my nerves. That’s right, I fell. Twice. Turns out, racing up stairs is a lot different than racing on the road. It was crowded. And dizzying. The air was incredibly thick. And the heavy breathing echoing all around me was intense.

I began to have doubts about making it to the top. And then I remembered overhearing someone at the start say, “enjoy the pain.” So I tried to do just that. And it was the best advice I’ve ever indirectly been given. Because I made it to the top. And had a blast. Check it out:

Thanks to my brother for agreeing to look like a lunatic with me and wear a GoPro on his head, and to Ben McCool for mashing up our videos!

About these ads

---