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record-breaking stair climb
Paul Gerritsen, the fastest man in the Sky Tower Challenge 2010 was running out of air
when he hit the top and says his whistle had started blowing at about the 30 th floor.
“Breathing was a real struggle and for the last 10 floors I
was sucking so hard it felt like I was holding my breath,”
he said.
Paul is on eight months’ leave from Remuera station while
he trains and prepares for this year’s World Rowing
Championships in November. He’s a member of the
national men’s quad team.
He says the rowing training helped but it was his previous
experience in the stair climb that really made the difference.
“I learned you really have to pace yourself and run the
whole way up, not sprint the first 10 flights or so as that
just leaves you drained,” he said.
Paul made it to the top 30 seconds faster than he did on his
first attempt last year and broke the record with his time
of 9 minutes 35 seconds.
First-timer Erin Gray from the Queenstown Volunteer Fire
Brigade was fastest woman at 13 minutes 28 seconds,
beating the 2009 time by more than one minute.
Erin walked fast and steadily up the stairs “Physically,
I couldn’t have run – the gear I was wearing weighed
about half as much as I do!”
Her training included running up the stairs at a local
reserve – which she had to climb up and down 16 times
to come close to the distance of the Sky Tower.
14 Issue No. 60
“I found the training harder than the actual event.
When I got to the top of the Sky Tower I couldn’t
believe it was over so quickly.”
Pahia’s Volunteer Brigade once again claimed the
fundraising trophy, for the fifth consecutive year,
raising $24,000 of the $193,000 raised for the
Leukemia and Blood Foundation.
Left: Fastest Man, Paul Gerritsen, Remuera Blue Watch.
Right: Fastest Woman, Erin Gray, Queenstown VFB.