SA’s Wilson third in Empire State climb
The action inside the Empire State Building was considerably hotter than the sub-zero temperatures outside during the 38th Empire State Building Run Up, on Thursday (New York time).
As the first premium race of the 2015 Tower Running World Cup season got under way, elite athletes from 10 countries lined up to scale the 1,576 steps to the 86th-floor observation deck.
At the end of the gruelling run, South Australia’s Darren Wilson found himself in third place, with an impressive time of 10 minutes and 53 seconds.
“I was happy with my result,” Wilson told InDaily from New York.
“I blew up towards the end and most probably cost myself early from a time perspective trying to go with the first two.
You might like
“This is my fourth attempt at the Empire State Building and I’ve had three podium finishes and a fourth place the first time I attempted it.
“It is about minus six degrees outside at the minute, but this has been a special run as I brought the family with me to experience New York.”
German climber Christian Riedl triumped by a mere three seconds in the men’s race, in a time of 10:16, in front of defending champion Norwegian Thorbjorn Ludvigsen.
This unique sport will have more than 200 races worldwide during this calendar year.
Stay informed, daily
The famous skyscraper that hosted the first elite race for the year is located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street.
Another Australian, Suzy Walsham, improved on her record-breaking tally to become a six-time winner, from eight attempts, in the women’s race.
Last December in Hong Kong, Wilson took on and won climb at the 118-story, 484-metre International Commerce Centre.
Wilson, an AFL boundary umpire, finished the race – considered one of the world’s most gruelling – in 11 minutes and 56 seconds.
Wilson jokes after that victory he must be “certifiably crazy.”
He regarded the Hong Kong victory as his biggest and most satisfying win, as he knocked off long-time stair climbing nemesis Mark Bourne for the first time.
Wilson will be running the boundaries of Adelaide Oval again this season.
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.
