Hustle Up The 875 [Hancock] 2019 {Race Recap}

A few weeks ago I climbed up this 94 story building again. 

A few days prior I did 100 floors in 16:00 on the stair step. I knew that stair step does not equal real stairs. I get so winded climbing 20 floors in my building.

Race morning we took an Uber up to the 875. I met up with coworkers- I was on a work sponsored team and we took some pics before getting in line. 

I didn’t really have a goal. I didn’t feel as in shape as I did last year- I’m heavier and not running as much but wanted to be around my time from 2018.

We took more selfies before we got in line.

There he is in line a few people behind me.

I got all my stuff together and was ready to climb 94 floors.

I ended up starting my watch about a minute into the climb because I got distracted at the start. The volunteers were super nice while they let people go every 8 seconds to avoid crowding.

My plan for this “race” was to keep an even pace- basically a slow steady walking pace the entire time. And to not stop. 

Around floor 9 I saw a flash of light and was confused. Then I realized there was a photographer.

So I looked up and they took another picture of me.

Around floor 33 I saw a sign saying we were a third of the way complete. My legs were basically trashed by that point. It was such a contrast to last year when my HR was through the roof. This year my legs were useless Gumby legs.

I put my head down, passed about 40+ people, and started climbing- using my hands on the stairs. Not sure if it helped but it made sense at the time. I was hurting. 

I heard cheers and was happy to know the end was near. 

I finished in 19:05- about a minute slower than last year. A little after I finished, I Spotted L who finished under 21:00.

I was so happy to be done. I swear the building grew more stairs!

The views were nice.

The wind was crazy strong too- the elevators were moving slowly and there was a long wait to get back down. Luckily I have a hookup in the building and we were able to take the freight down without wait.

It was fun- as fun as something like that can be. It’s for a great cause- and is a good challenge, so I’ll keep coming back.

We climbed up that!

After going home and freshening up, we went to Half Acre to celebrate.


First race of 2019 is in the books! Next up is my running club’s beer mile and the Shamrock Shuffle.