October 6, 2019
Only FIVE races left!
I turned 40 in March and, in honor of my milestone birthday, I challenged myself to compete in 40 races in 2019. Do I have a hashtag? Of course I do! It’s #40years40races!

Before the Crim 5-mile race in Flint. More on this race below!
I gotta be completely honest: Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment |
Uncategorized | Tagged: 10k, 40years40races, 5K, Crim, flint, Fox Hills, Heart of Oak, JJ, Moonlight Run, run, running, stair climb |
Permalink
Posted by David
August 19, 2019
30 races down, 10 more to go!
2019 is all about racing. I’m celebrating my 40th birthday by competing in 40 races. It’s my #40years40races Challenge!

This challenge is physically exhausting, but it also requires a lot of planning. So I’m thrilled to be 3/4ths done with it, with over four months left in the year!
I’ve been keeping a running total of Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments |
Uncategorized | Tagged: 10k, 40years40races, 5K, Detroit, Detroit Zoo, flushing, Give and Get Fit, run, Run for the Ribbon, Run Thru Hell, running, stair climb |
Permalink
Posted by David
May 29, 2019
At the beginning of the year, I set out to complete a great big fitness challenge: in honor of my 40th birthday, I decided to compete in 40 races in 2019. I’m happy to share that I’m halfway to my goal, and have achieved some notable accomplishments along the way, including – drum roll please – my first-ever age group podium win!
I’m going to get into details of that age group podium win shortly, but first, some big picture stats. I’ve done 20 races since the beginning of January. I’ve done more races in the past five months than I’ve ever done in any previous year. Wow. Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments |
Uncategorized | Tagged: 10k, 40years40races, 5K, challenge, exercise, Forte 5K, Groves, Milford Easter Dash, Ridge Run, run, running, stair climb, tower running, trail run, Upland Hills |
Permalink
Posted by David
April 10, 2019
It’s only the fourth month of the year, but I’ve already raced more in 2019 than I did in 2011, 2012, and 2013 combined. That’s because I’m in the middle of my #40years40races challenge, which is my quest to compete in 40 races in 2019, in honor of my recent 40th birthday.

I’m doing stair races and running races, and I’ve done so many races in the past few months that I’m starting to lose count. I need to Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments |
Uncategorized | Tagged: 10k, 40years40races, 5K, challenge, exercise, run, running, stair climb, tower running |
Permalink
Posted by David
March 4, 2019
When my alarm went off at 4:45am Saturday morning, the first thing I did was take a few deep breaths. This was going to be a day like none other I’ve experienced. I was going to push myself harder than ever before, in a challenge that would redefine what I’m capable of, what I could endure, and what I can rise above.
And it was all going to happen in this building, glowing in the pre-dawn darkness, just across the plaza from my Salt Lake City hotel room.

While short compared to towers in other cities, the Read the rest of this entry »
10 Comments |
Uncategorized | Tagged: 40years40races, charity race, Huntsman Cancer Foundation, Huntsman Heroes, OutClimb Cancer Challenge, Salt Lake City, SLC, stair climb, stairs, stairwell, tower running, utah, Wells Fargo Center |
Permalink
Posted by David
February 26, 2019
Hello again, Stratosphere!

I’m back from my Las Vegas trip, where I competed, for the fourth time, in the American Lung Association’s Scale the Strat – a race up 1,391 steps in the tallest freestanding observation tower in the USA.
I didn’t like this race after I did it for the first time in 2014, mostly because Read the rest of this entry »
7 Comments |
Uncategorized | Tagged: American Lung Association, charity race, container park, Fremont Street, JJ, Scale the Strat, stair climb, stair race, Stratosphere, Stratosphere Casino Hotel Tower, tower running, urban hike, walk |
Permalink
Posted by David
May 14, 2018
On Saturday, my sister Sarah and I competed in The Lemon Climb Denver, a 43-story stair race to the top of a tall Colorado skyscraper.

You: Really? A stair race? I thought you were taking a break!
Me: I am taking a break. But the break, while necessary, was a spontaneous decision, and I had registered for this race months ago, accepted money from Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments |
Uncategorized | Tagged: 1999 Broadway, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, charity, Denver, Denver Broncos, race, stair climb, stair race, stairwell, The Lemon Climb, tower running |
Permalink
Posted by David
November 7, 2017
There are many reasons why I love competing in stair races, but the very first thing that hooked me was the overwhelming feeling that comes after I cross a finish line – a one-of-a-kind swirl of pride, accomplishment, invincibility, pain and exhaustion. Prior to my involvement in this sport, I had never felt it before, and now I can’t get enough of it. This picture, taken moments after crossing a finish line on Saturday, is the closest I’ve come to capturing that feeling:

Now, when I look at it, I can see every component of that feeling pretty clearly: Read the rest of this entry »
7 Comments |
Uncategorized | Tagged: 300 North LaSalle, CFF, charity race, Chicago, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, fog, race, Sears Tower, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, skydeck, skyrise chicago, skyscraper, stair climb, stairs, stairwell, tower running, Willis Tower |
Permalink
Posted by David
September 26, 2017
Last weekend was the Stair Climb for Los Angeles, the Downtown-Ketchum YMCA’s annual race up the stairwell in the 75-story US Bank Tower, from the sidewalk to the tallest roof in Los Angeles!

This was my fifth consecutive year competing, and while I was excited to attempt a new personal best, I didn’t have Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » |
Uncategorized | Tagged: Downtown-Ketchum, personal best, Skyspace, stair climb, Stair Climb for Los Angeles, stair race, stairwell, tower running, US Bank Tower, vertical running, YMCA |
Permalink
Posted by David