Embrace the climb! How stairs can super-charge your fitness in seconds

They’re everywhere, they’re free and low-impact. No wonder more and more people are ditching long runs – and taking the stairs instead

You might not have noticed, but most modern hotels hide their stairways. Depending on who you ask, this is either for safety, security or aesthetics (stairwells are ugly, unless you design them to match the other decor) – but it means that people tend to be surprised when they see you running up them. I find a huffed-out “Morning!” is one of the best ways to break the tension. A lot of those you meet walking downstairs in hotels at 7am are probably quite hungover, or at least groggy. Still, they’re usually very polite.

I know this because – and this feels like a slightly embarrassing admission – I’m a Stairs Guy now. It’s always been a lurking part of my psyche, in one way or another: I’ve never been able to stand on the right on the underground, or wait for a lift if it’s only going a couple of floors. Still, I’m not alone. Stair-running is a pastime on the rise, at least if you look at the amount of events catering to it. The first ever full-scale tower race, reportedly, took place at the Eiffel Tower in 1905, with about 300 runners climbing a mere two levels (729 steps) of the monument. More events followed, but it took a while before the sport spread to the UK (via an inter-university race up the BT tower in 1968), and the US (the Empire State Building Run-Up debuted in 1978). Today, hundreds of events across dozens of countries allow the light-limbed and large-lunged to race each other up some of the world’s most recognisable skyscrapers, while everyone else is gently encouraged to pace themselves to the top.

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