Stair Climbing Events Grow In Popularity

This article appeared on the Australian Leisure Management website.

With stair climbing acknowledged as an exercise that beats running, swimming, cycling and walking in terms of calories burned, Stair Climbing Australia (SCA), the peak body for stair racing in Australia, aims to promote and grow the sport, organise races, and build a connected tribe of passionate stair racers.

Stair climbing (also known as tower running or vertical running) began in the early 1900s, with the Eiffel Tower in Paris the site of the first organised event in 1905 - which brought athletes and amateurs from all sporting disciplines together in a test of fitness.

However, its wasn’t until the 1970s that the sport was given recognition when the United States organised the Empire State Building Run Up (ESBRU) which has been an annual event and is known as the ‘grandfather’ of stair climbs - featuring on the bucket list of many avid stair climbers around the world. 

Australia saw its first organised events in the late 1980s, with Melbourne hosting the Rialto Tower Stair Climb from 1989 to 2005 while Sydney has hosted annual stair climbs at the Sydney Eye Tower for 30 years with world class athletes, Paul Cake, Suzy Walsham and Mark Bourne holding course records.

In the current millennium, with a growing understanding of the health and fitness benefits of stair climbing, time-poor office workers, medical professionals and others took to stairwells in their workplaces and as research continued into this activity, people looked at what events existed as added motivation to train.

The passionate stair climber trains throughout the year regardless of their speed. Many travel around the country (and Internationally) to take part in eagerly awaited stair climbs.

Vertical stair climbs which are held in stairwells of multi storey buildings such as Q1 in Queensland, 111 Eagle St Brisbane, Sydney Tower in Sydney and Eureka Tower in Melbourne (to name a few), are growing in popularity attracting between 500 to 2000 participants.

As the popularity of the sport grew, in October 2018, a dedicated and passionate group of stair climbers formed Stair Climbing Australia (SCA).

SCA works alongside event organisers and charities providing the perspective of participants and an insight into what a stair climber looks for in an event.

It also liaises with International organisations and the Tower Running World Association, with Australia providing the sport with many world class athletes and at present, the female world champion, Suzy Walsham is Australian.

Brisbane leads Australia in the sport playing host to The Brisbane Vertical Night Sprint in 2019, the first night event in Australia at Student One building. Steve Corrie heading Stair Challenge Australia is forward thinking and strives to give their events a point of difference.

Brisbane also hosts the River to Rooftop stair climb an event organised by the Women’s Legal Service at 111 Eagle Street in the city’s CBD, raising awareness and funds against women’s domestic violence and the Mater Foundation have an annual event at Waterfront Place raising funds for immunotherapy research.

The Gold Coast hosts the Q1 stair challenge with Steve Corrie at the helm and the point of difference with this event being that the Everest Team Challenge gives individuals the chance to climb more than once while raising awareness for the charity Rosies - Friends of the Street.

Another event organised by Stair Challenge Australia, the Sydney Tower Stair Challenge raising funds for Giant Steps.

Perth plays host to the MSWA stair climb at The Central Equity building - the second tallest climb in Australia - that raises funds for MS.

This event continues to gain popularity even though it is the most distant climb for those living on the other side of Australia.

The season ends with the tallest climb in Australia at Melbourne’s Eureka Tower (1642 stairs) each November. Organised by The Fred Hollows Foundation organises it raises money for the Foundation.

Closely related is popular Stadium Stomp series, run by King Performance who are the pioneers of stadium events in the world. Each state sees 3,000 to 5,000 individuals run up and down major stadiums providing a unique experience for those wanting a different type of fitness challenge.

This year sees the series raising awareness and funds for Emergency Services Foundation.

SCA has forged a strong relationship with event organisers working hand in hand to provide participants with a positive and beneficial experience.

Commenting on SCA’s role, association Secretary Scott Beveridge explains “we provide organisers with an ‘insight’ into the ‘sporting side’ of the event whilst also promoting the charity side of events to members of the community. Stair climbers are passionate about the sport while enjoying the fundraising aspect.

“That feeling of helping others while achieving a goal and staying fit and healthy drives us … not to mention the Monday morning bragging rights!

“'What did you do on the weekend?'

“'Climbed 1500 stairs, want to see my medal?'”