The finish of the Empire State Building Run-Up

King of the Empire State Run-Up

He is the world’s No.1 tower runner and a three-time winner of the Empire State Building Run-Up. spikesmag.com caught up with the 24-year-old German Thomas Dold, who seeks a fourth successive win in the Big Apple later today.

How did you get into tower running?
I lived in the Black Forest in Germany by the river and used to run in the valley but I found that quite boring so I started to run in the hills and got into mountain running. My first stairclimb came in Vienna in 2003. Many of the runners who raced there were just normal road runners and they ran at a slow speed and nearly against the wall. It was not my problem. I realised I was quite good and that’s when I went on to the tower running. I won my age group in Vienna and overall I was sixth.

Is coming from a mountain running background important for tower running?
Many tower runners are mountain runners. Paul Crake [five-time winner of the Empire State Building Run-Up] was also a good mountain runner and professional cyclist Andrea Mayer is a very good tower running and a world champion in mountain running.

How can you compare the techniques of the two?
I think it is quite different because tower running has a handrail and that’s quite a big difference. Mountain running is more power running but the trick with tower running is that you fly over the stairs and don’t fight against every stair. You have to take two stairs every step or else someone else will do that and win the race. When you don’t use the handrail you are using a big circuit along every floor you have to turn around 180 degrees, but if you use [swing around] the handrail you are very close on the stairs and it helps put you on track.

Why is the Empire State Building Run-Up such a special race?
The Empire State is such a well-known building across the world. In Germany the tower running is quite popular compared with other sports and the ESB Run-Up is the one event that everyone knows. In the last few years there has been a really good media response and lots of people know the race.

How do you train for the race?
I practise by running in the tower. It takes a lot of organising because I need special permission but I go to Frankfurt because the banks have big buildings. I prepare in the Main Tower in Frankfurt or the TV tower at Stuttgart. Last year I ran up 10 different towers, but for training I mainly go twice-a-week to Frankfurt.

Are you more a tower runner than mountain runner?
I’ve won a bronze team medal in mountain running. I’m not sure about mountain running because I’ve never tried to get in as good a shape for mountain running as tower running. I’ve run some really good races in the past in mountain running but I’ve never focused or concentrated on it.

Why do you like tower running?
It is not possible to say the weather was bad or there was too much wind [laughing]. You are responsible on your own for the result and that is quite good. You cannot say anything about the conditions. There are no excuses.

How do you cope mentally with the race?
When I train in Frankfurt the building is over after 50 storeys but in New York when I see storey 50 it is only half-time but my body feels it has to stop. I try and split up the race in two 40-storey segments in New York. The first 40 storeys you just try to keep ahead of the opposition and for the second 40 storeys you are catching and overtaking the women who have set off five minutes earlier, so this can act as a good motivation.

When do you start to feel pain?
What is pain? What is the definition? The first 10 storeys of the race you try to get into a rhythm and after about after 20 storeys you will feel your legs because your heart rate is nearly at the maximum and there is nobody who can run the first 50 floors without any pain.

How long does it take to recover?
Really, I’m unable to breathe properly for more than a week when I’m running. The legs are painful and it is really hard to make big steps. But that’s special for me. I think normal runners are nearly completely recovered after a few days.