The 28th annual Hustle Chicago Stair Climb, hosted by the Respiratory Health Association, took to the skies, so to speak, in the Windy City Sunday.
More than 2,000 participants, a sold-out crowd, participated in the event, climbing up 94 flights of stairs inside of the 875 North Michigan building, formerly known as the John Hancock Center.
The event aimed to raise money to prevent lung disease, promote clean air, and to place emergency asthma medications inside of public schools.
An elite field of 40 athletes also competed in the United States championships in tower running, with Malaysia’s Waiching Soh winning the event by climbing all 94 flights of stairs in just under 10 minutes.
While he was proud of his victory, he shockingly said that he thought he could do better and get closer to the course record, which stands at just under nine minutes and 30 seconds.
“I feel great, but I still think I can do better,” he told NBC Chicago’s Jenn Schanz. “I’m going to come back next year to improve my time.”
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The elite athletes typically complete the course in 10-to-11 minutes, while the rest of the runners participating in the charity event complete it in 25-to-30 minutes.
NBC Chicago reporter Jenn Schanz provided a preview of what the stair runners would encounter as they raced up the building’s staircases, winding their way up the narrow corridors inside of the structure.
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Tower Running athlete Jason Larson also provided plenty of tips on how to tackle the event during an interview ahead of the race.
“You kind of learn real quickly you can take steps two at a time,” he said. “I try to use the handrailing to pull myself up, as kind of a fireman’s pull. You just try to go slow and steady.”
Many of the racers on Sunday have seen firsthand the impacts of lung disease and asthma, and have been encouraged to raise funds to help those afflicted by those ailments. Volunteer Glen Liljeberg, who raced up the 94 flights of stairs, said that was what motivated him to climb in the event.
“There’s been so many of my family, myself and coworkers who have been struck down or impacted by lung disease, lung cancer, (and) it’s extremely important to raise funds to help with that,” he said.
To cap off the event, Chicago firefighters climbed some of the building’s stairs in full gear as part of the massive fundraising effort.
More information can be found on the Respiratory Health Association’s website.
