This was an interesting day, because I went not planning to climb the stairs (as you can possibly tell by the fact that I went in jeans).
I was just looking for more volunteer things to do in New York, so I volunteered for the stair climb. When I got there, they had way more people than they needed.
At that point, I figured, “Well, I’ve already gotten up this early. I might as well climb the stairs.”
So, I signed up and climbed the stairs.
I always kind of imagined a stair climb as a crazy crowded mess… I don’t know I would’ve pictured that ’cause if they were crazy and unsafe, they wouldn’t be done…
But yeah, it wasn’t at all what I was thinking it was.
We were basically in a big corral by the stairs. And then we got released every 40 seconds (or however long it was in between people).
And then the trip was taken basically by ourselves. Everyone once in a while someone would pass me. But really, it was just a quiet trip walking up the steps.
Then there were a few water stops. I don’t know why I didn’t anticipate water stops in a race-type scenario. But I didn’t think about it. And of course, there they were. You kind of stepped in a hallway and you could sit if you wanted (in chairs they had out).
There were also some volunteers cheering along the way.
It was fun, but sort of anti-climactic. Basically, it seemed I wasn’t even working for as long as I would in a 5k. So, the whole thing happens pretty quickly. And then it’s like, “Huh. Oh. I’m at the top. Well, then.”
And you couldn’t even go outside at the top. It was like, “Huh, well. I made it.” And then you take an elevator down, end of story.
Then, there was a nice little free pizza party down the street. You could donate $5 or $10 for a chance to win some cool swag. I did it with the huge hope of winning a “Climb” hat. And I did (on the first try)!
Ultimately, it was a short morning. But I climbed some stairs and had a good time… I’d do another one, but I’d love to do a taller building – and one that ends on the outside (instead of enclosed). The end!