Surprisingly, every stair climb is
different, however they all have one
thing in common… stair climbing
is one of the toughest physical and
mental challenges in the sporting
world!
By Adam Ryan
For most people the thought of carrying
their body weight vertically for up to 20
minutes seems very unattractive but the
growth of this unusual sport is getting
bigger and better every year with some
events attracting over 2000 participants
of all abilities. At the moment the hottest
stair climbing challenge is Stadium
Stomping. This is an untimed event
where participants climb up and down
every level of Australia’s largest football
stadiums including the MCG, GABBA,
SCG and for the first time this year the
Adelaide Oval.
Surprisingly, every stair climb is different,
THE SPORT OF
STAIR CLIMBING
E
it the finish line is under your feet and
you’re greeted with spectacular views,
a powerful endorphin rush and the
ultimate sense of satisfaction and relief.
Just like any sport or event, training
and preparation is important and
will only help you enjoy your stair
climbing experience come race day.
Stair climbing requires strength and
endurance, a strong aerobic base, the
ability to tolerate a high heart rate and
high levels of lactate for a period of time.
So the key is to improve on all of these
elements by training specifically to the
sport. For the endurance and aerobic
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very year more than 10,000 eager stair climbers
tackle some of Australia’s most grueling stair climbing
challenges on the planet, and Australia hosts
more than 10 events all over the country! These unique
challenges take you up the 88 floors of Melbourne’s
Eureka Tower, the 1,506 steps of Sydney’s Centerpoint
Tower and let’s not forget the latest trend in climbing up
and down the 5,000+ steps of the MCG, SCG, Adelaide
Oval and the GABBA.
42
however they all have one thing in
common… no matter how you fit you
think you are, stair climbing is one of
the toughest physical and mental
challenges in the sporting world! Usually
after a minute or two your body weight
feels as though it’s doubled and your
forcing oxygen into your lungs as you
simply can’t get enough oxygen into the
blood to supply the working muscles. This
is usually where the mentally tough excel
because after about 5 minutes you seem
to find this ‘happy medium’ where you
can tolerate the pain and stay focused
on getting to the top. Before you know
Believe it or not, stair climbing is a highly
competitive sport and is very well known
all over Europe, Asia and the USA.
Traditionally, climbers start on the ground
floor of a building to then climb their
way to the top floor via the emergency
fire escape stairwell in the fastest time
possible. Some of the fastest climbers in
the world are born and bred Australian’s
including Mark Bourne, Darren Wilson
and Suzie Walsham who recently won
the official world championships in Doha
last month.
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