Among the 56 women in the ESB Run-Up, Australian Suzy Walsham, 33, took first prize in just her second stair-climbing race ever, with a 13:12 effort. Indianapolis native Cindy Moll-Harris, 38, took second while New Yorker Fiona Bayly finished third.
“It feels great even to come in third,” said Bayly, who usually competes in marathons and triathlons. “This is just as hard as a marathon – and just as painful.”
“Doing this race is about seeing how much pain you can take,” added Moll-Harris, who is a four-time winner of the event.
The 30-year-old, invitation-only race offers no prize money, so if sprinting up 1,576 steps causes causes such anguish, why do it?
“I wanted to do something different,” said 63-year-old Helma Clavin, a Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y. resident who has competed in more than 20 marathons.
Clavin took the top spot in her age group with a 19:50 finish.
“I like the physicality of it — it’s the ultimate short-distance race,” Korff said. “Plus, it’s a quirky thing to do.”
Korff said he was off the pace this year after sitting out in 2006 because of back surgery. His 2007 time wasn’t his highest high – his best finish, 12:10, earned him top honors in his age group in 2005.
Korff, who competes in several endurance races a year and relishes his exhaustive training regimen (see sidebar), said he wasn’t too disappointed.
“It wasn’t my best, but I’m thrilled to be back,” he said. |
