I'm not sure what it is about the Hustle Up the Hancock that has captured the imagination of so many people. Stair climbs have become very popular as a way of raising money for charity. I know of probably ten of them in the Chicago area currently. But the Hustle is, by far, the most popular. It sells out all 4,000 spots immediately on the first day they open registration every year. this was the 11th year, and I have done it most, if not every year since they began.
Let me say right off that I do not enjoy it! Climbing stairs in a small, musty, crowded, stairwell is not my idea of fun. I'm not even sure it's really a great workout, unless you do it a couple times. I always call it about 15 minutes of hell, because that's usually about how long it takes me to climb the thing. Of course, the view from the top is priceless, and makes you forget about what you did to get there.
As for the exercise part of it, I will admit you get your heart rate up pretty good. It's only for a short time however, so it's not really suited to long distance training. I figure the day after a long run, however, it fit in just fine with my Boston training program.
The most important aspect of the Hustle up the Hancock race is the money they raise to fight lung disease for the Respiratory Health Association of Chicago. This year they are already at about one million dollars and still collecting. Unfortunately, that is still about $300,000 short of their goal. I hope they make it.
The next most important part is the competition. I finished more than five minutes slower than the top finishers. Winner Terry Purcell is pictured with Mike Adamle, and 2nd place finisher Christopher Schmidt. My competition every year in this event (usually) is Mike. They started a media competition a few years ago, and since then, we have a reason to give it our all. There's a trophy involved after all! So all the television and some radio stations get media teams together.
Our team consisted of a great group including Karen Jordan, Steve Dolinsky, Ravi Baichwal and producer Jamie Garton-Insko. Everyone did very well, and most beat their goal time. 
Steve laid down the gauntlet, vowing he will beat me next year. Good luck!
I was hoping to break 15 minutes this year, but I fell a few seconds short. So much of this run is in your head. I knew I was on pace to get close to my goal time early at about the 30th, and then the 60th floors. But as I approached the top, I didn't kick it in. I try to keep a steady pace, without running up. It's the familiar story though. If I'd known how close I was, I had enough left to kick it in for the last couple flights. Oh well, maybe next year. In any case, I believe my time was still good enough to win the media competition.
That's one of the aspect of this race that is definitely different from most road races. Since only one climber starts at a time, you can't really focus on anyone else. You are racing against the clock, like a time trial. You don't know how you fared against everyone else until they release the results later. I think many of us believe we could do better if we were racing side by side against other competitors.
Regardless, it was a nice diversion to the training runs. Now it's back to the roads. The clock is ticking!
See you out on the trails....
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