The event was well organized and surprisingly well attended. Year #1 had 94 climbers. Last year was just under 300 and this year was double. From firefighters to policemen to 75 year olds, a wide variety of people participated. case in point. The person immediately in front of me was a younger woman who had 2 children in the past 2 years and wanted to dropped 50 pounds, while behind me in line was a 2:28 marathoner. The oddest was a group of about 6 or 7 who just did these climbs. Nothing else. Don’t ask them about marathons. Ditto for 5Ks or 10ks or anything to do with the road or trails. They travel the country just to do stair climbs. They talk about the Chicago Stair Climb the way cyclists talk about the Tour de France or runners, the Boston marathon.

Personally, I found the climb uneventful. It was more like a workout in the gym versus an event. Yes, it was strenuous, particularly due to the lack of oxygen in the stairwell. It was especially noticeable around the 17th or 18th floor. My lungs were burning and heart rate was around 160 bpm. In spite of the challenge, I considered it rather bland. I didn’t even get the “reward” of feeling sore afterwards. It just did not offer anything out of the norm.

Would I recommend doing it?

Well . . . . if there are tornado warnings and you cannot go outside. And the gyms are closed. And no good movies are out. And there is no electricity to turn a light on to read a book. . . . maybe then. If you don’t mind the lack of pizzazz of a marathon or a 10K or an event in general. You wait around for an hour and a half, only to complete the climb in (at least my case) in ten minutes. The benefit/reward/thrill cycle never kicks into gear.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and really, really were in the mood for a fresh, juicy lobster. Only to have the waiter tell you, “Sorry sir, we are completely sold out.” OK, no problem. Salmon. Yes, I’ll go with the salmon. “Sorry sir. We are out of this as well.” What about conch? “We never carry that.” At this point, you are at the fourth choice and . . . does it even matter.