NYRR Empire State Building Run-Up[Results] [Story] [Video]
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 The 31st annual NYRR Empire State Building Run-Up took place on a fog-shrouded Manhattan morning. The race climbs 1,576 steps up New York’s tallest and most famous building. |
 The race begins with a sprint across the lobby to a narrow door into the stairwell. Defending champion Suzy Walsham of Australia (#101, wearing black tights) was the first to reach the door in the women’s heat. |
 Competitors ascend flights of 18-19 steps, with a short dash between flights. Seasoned ESBRU participants use the railings for leverage, saving wear and tear on the legs. |
 Stacy Creamer (left) of New York was the fifth woman finisher (second master) in 14:37. She has completed the Run-Up nine times! |
 Walsham, who lives in Singapore and trains by running stairs in her 12-story condo building, broke the tape for a second straight year. Her 12:44 bettered her 2007 time by 28 seconds. |
 Cindy Moll-Harris of Indianapolis finished second in 14:33 after running closely behind Walsham through the first 30 floors. She won the Run-Up in 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2003. |
 New York’s Fiona Bayly placed third (13:57), as she had in 2007. A top local road racer, the 40-year-old Bayly said she felt “privileged” to take part in the Run-Up. |
 After 86 floors of gasping effort in a narrow stairway, Run-Up participants burst onto the observation deck and sprint the final few yards to the finish. |
 The men’s start is traditionally a rough-and-tumble affair at the front, due to the strategic advantage of gaining a top position for the early climbing stages. |
 The Run-Up is an obstacle course of sorts, passing through narrow hallways and doorways en route to the 86th floor. Matt Baruch finished 27th in 13:48. |
 Michael Lewis shows concentration and excellent arm carriage as he climbs toward an 18:04 finish. |
 Rickey Gates of Boulder, CO, gives the race his all; he finished second overall in an excellent time of 10:16. |
 Thomas Dold of Germany, 23, celebrates after winning the NYRR Empire State Building Run-Up for the third straight year. His time, 10:08, was his best ever. |
 Dold’s countryman and friend Matthias Jahn finished third in a time of 10:56. Jahn was second in the 2007 Run-Up. |
 Not that anyone is stopping to notice, but the view of Manhattan from the observation deck is quite spectacular. |
 This runner wears a “Team Chico” shirt to honor the memory of Chico Scimone, who completed the Run-Up 15 times—including every race from 1992 to 2005—before his death in 2005 at age 93. |
 Finishers Duncan Lonsdale (left) of New York and Ron Hiestand of Allentown, PA, smile with satisfaction after a good morning’s work. |
 David Ahn (right) of Hackensack, NJ, and friend proudly display their finisher medals. Participants represented 23 states and 17 countries. |
 Champion Dold meets the press, which showed intense interest in his three-peat. Dold is a member of the German national mountain running team. |
 Both Dold and Walsham successfully defended their 2007 NYRR Empire State Building Run-Up titles and hoped to return again in 2009. |
 This year’s race included a separate Brokers’ Division heat with teams seven representing New York’s top real-estate firms. |
 Cassie Resnick of Victorious Secret was the top female Brokers’ Division finisher, in a time of 18:07. |
 Stephen Sjurset, representing CB Richard Ellis Green Machine, won the male Brokers’ Division competition in a speedy 15:05. |
 On a day that NYC toasted its Super Bowl champions with a parade, every NYRR Empire State Building Run-Up finisher was also a winner, 86 stories high. |
