Thank you to everyone who so
generously donated to The United Way for this event. Thanks to you, I
raised $710 for The United Way! Your giving spirits are amazing!
This event was a unique
experience. I have never climbed much more than a handful of actual
flights of stairs before (not counting stair climber machines), so to complete
this task was something I never thought I would do.
It took me 32 minutes and 8 seconds
to climb all 1,776 stairs. It was different than running for that length
of time, or even longer, because climbing up stairs is not the same as running
on a level surface. Also, there was no scenery to look at. Just
stair after stair after stair…
The CN Tower stairwell has steel
steps, concrete walls, and concrete landings at the top of each flight of
stairs. The lighting is stark and utilitarian. There are no
windows, just a heavy metal grate along one side of the stairwell, to protect
people from the open airshaft that runs the entire height of the tower.
Some might feel that it is claustrophobic (the narrow space with concrete
walls) or even acrophobic (looking down the open airshaft), but it was okay for
me.
The first 40 flights (about 500
stairs) went quite well and I remember thinking that I should pace myself,
there was still a long way to go. At the 47th flight, I took a
1 minute break, with the plan that I would stop at about 1/3 of the way, then
at 2/3, then finish the climb. At Flight 77, I decided to take another 1
minute break, because I realized that only two breaks for the entire climb was
not going to work for me. I ended up stopping 4 times in total, to give
my muscles a chance to re-oxygenate.
During the course of the climb, I
ended up passing people who were also taking sporadic breaks, then they would
leapfrog past me when I stopped. Okay, “leapfrog” might be too energetic,
they plodded past me – we were all tired at this point!
I remember passing Flight 89 (about
1,100 steps) and thinking “This is officially not fun anymore. I am tired
but I still have almost 50 flights left to go.” A little while later, I
saw a sign on the wall – a literal sign, not a figurative one. I might
have been tired but I was not having visions! The sign said “Only 500 steps to
go!”. Believe it or not, that was not a motivational message to me
at that time! 500 is not a small number…
However, I seemed to get into the
zone shortly after that and before I knew it, there was another sign that said
“Only 100 steps to go!”. Now we’re talking! I can do this! I am
doing this!
There were people cheering on a
landing at the top of the stairwell, encouraging the climbers to “finish
strong”, so I quickened my pace for the last couple flights. I clocked
out with my timechip wristband and then… I turned and saw the rest of the stairs
that I would need to climb to reach to the observation level of the CN Tower
and the elevator to go back down to ground level. Those last 50 stairs
were tough to climb!
Once I reached the observation level,
there were more people cheering and that felt really good to see and
hear. I walked around the perimeter of the tower, taking advantage of the
beautiful view and reflecting upon my achievement. I actually climbed all
the way up here! I looked down through the glass floor and it helped give
me perspective on how high I had just climbed.
The elevator ride back down was only
58 seconds long, just a bit less than the time it took to go up the
tower. I collected my T-shirt that had my completion time written on it,
drank some water and ate a couple granola bars, then I headed home to shower
and take a load off my feet for a rest. I earned it!
By the way, my 11-year old son David
climbed the CN Tower the day before I did, with his Scout Troop. We found
out the Troop was doing the climb after I had committed to doing it for my
work’s charitable campaign, so I only attended Saturday’s climb as a
chaperone/Scout Leader. David had asked me if I would do the climb with
him, but I didn’t think I could do it on Saturday with the Scouts and then do
it again the following morning with my work colleagues. As it turned out,
David and I would have only started the climb together. With his
exuberance of youth and the energy that comes from facing a challenge with your
peers, David raced up the stairs in a fantastic time of 20 minutes flat!
He really enjoyed himself and he was none the worse for wear, since he played
goal in the hockey game that he had that same afternoon. Ah! To be
young again! J
Between the two of us, David and I
raised $810 dollars! We are proud of our achievement and also proud of
our family members and friends who supported the cause by donating, as well as
those who wished us good luck before the event.
If you happen to want to donate now,
it is still possible until Friday, November 11. Any amount is
appreciated, and tax receipts are available for donations of $25 or more.
My webpage link is right here:
Please don’t feel obligated, I just
wanted to give people the opportunity to donate if they meant to, but it
slipped their mind.
Thanks again for your support!
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