SPORT / VERTICAL RUNNING - DEPORTE / CARRERA VERTICAL.

Hi my dear friends, have you ever practiced vertical running ? It consists of a race but always up, the only way is up and Chicago (USA) is the capital of stair climbing or tower racing. This year this race has to be virtual because of the situation we are suffering but people can also participate from home as well.

Hola mis queridos amigos, ¿habéis practicado alguna vez carrera vertical? Consiste en una carrera pero siempre hacia arriba, el único camino es hacia arriba y Chicago en los Estados Unidos es la capital del ascenso por escaleras o carreras en diferentes torres. Este año esta carrera tiene que ser virtual a causa de la situación que estamos sufriendo pero la gente puede participar también desde casa igualmente.

Info:  from Speak Up magazine.

Photos: mprnews.org  /  givebackonmyfeet.org/  dailymail.org   /  skyrisechicago.org

VERTICAL RUNNING   -   THE ONLY WAY IS UP

Remember Sylvester Stallone up the steps outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the first Rocky film in 1976?  This iconic image was repeated in later Rocky movies. The way to go is up.

Stair climbing as a sport is relatively recent. It was initiated by runners' clubs whose members lived in big cities with big buildings.

TOWER RACING

Towe running is very powerful exercise and burns a lot of calories. Stairs are very steep, so the body has to contend with gravity. Running up stairs activates muscles that are not used in regular runs. Stair runners love to tell stories about marathon runners who couldn't handle the pace of a vertical race. In any case, vertical races are often held for charity so the pain is for a good cause. So how do you train for these races? With difficulty, as the high buildings are usually private.

CHICAGO, CHICAGO!

Chicago has a great selection of skyscrapers, best seen from the river on an architectural boat tour.  The city's impressive John Hancock Tower is climbed for the "Hustle up the Hancock" charity race. 

Another big event in the tower running calendar is the "SkyRise" race up the Willis Tower in November.

The Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower), is the second of the tallest building in the US, and one of the tallest in the world.  Its 110 stories occupy so much space -over 100 football fields- that the Tower has its own zip code.  With its characteristic antenna tip, the Willis Tower is 527 metres high.

SkyRise runners finish the race at 412 metres, on the glass decks of the "Skydeck" on the 103rd floor.

IN TOP PHYSICAL CONDITION

A tower racer is an athlete who specializes in running up the stairs of very tall buildings.  The altitude starts to play a factor because the atmosphere and the air level change.  For the most part of the race it is an enclosed stairway so you get a lot of  stale air cause there are a lot of people doing it too.

There are thousands of people running up and down, sweating and breathing and the temperature of the body gets warmer. 

The attraction of this sport is the thrill itself. It is something new and not comercialized. It is very competitive. If you really get at it, 13, 14 minutes, but your heart is racing that whole time, like that's a full-body exertion, it's a lot more aggressive than a natural run. Like just about any athlete of any kind runs but not many of them run stairs. 

You must be in top physical condition because it is a vigorous and treacherous route but you get that thrill of overexertion, full exertion!

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VOCABULARY

-TO CONTEND WITH:  luchar contra.

-TO HANDLE: manejar.

-PACE: ritmo.

-CHARITY: organización benéfica.

-TO HUSTLE UP: subir deprisa.

-STALE AIR:  aire viciado.

-TO SWEAT:  sudar.

-THRILL:  emoción.

-IF YOU REALLY GET AT IT:  si lo hace a tope.

-EXERTION:  esfuerzo.

EXERCISE.

Write the correct word in the gaps.  The first letter and a description are given in brackets to help you.

a) Tower running involves racing to the top of  s_____________(high-rise buildings)

b) It takes place in an enclosed   s____________(stairway) so the air can get stale.

c) It is a very  v_____________(energetic)  sport that raises body temperatures.

d) Tower running gets your heart  r__________(beating fast)  the whole time.

e)   It follows a more  t__________(hazardous)  route than a normal, natural run.

TOWER RUNNING AROUND THE WORLD

**The international website  www.towerrunning.com  has a list of all upcoming races in the world.

** www.stairsport.com  is the main United States site, with a corresponding facebook group.

** www.towerrunninguk.com  is the United Kingdom equivalent.

                        

SOLUTION TO THE EXERCISE.

a) skyscrapers   b) stairwell  c) vigorous  d) racing  e) treacherous

SEE YOU!!!