elyob
Back in 2009, I tackled the Tower 42 Vertical Rush — 932 steps spiraling up 42 floors of that iconic 183-metre City of London tower. The whole thing was for Shelter, and I crossed the finish line in 9 minutes 15 seconds among 1,165 starters. Blue Peter's film crew were there capturing it all, which was pretty surreal.
This was the very first Vertical Rush ever held. Nobody knew it would become one of the UK's most popular stair races, but here we are. Jahn Matthias absolutely demolished the competition, finishing in 4 minutes 22 seconds. Somehow Ralf Hascher managed second place despite flying in from Las Vegas just two days earlier — jet lag and all.