Break? What Break? I Just Did the Lemon Climb Denver! (Race Recap)

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

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One Morning. Two Separate Stair Races. My First Triumphant Double Header! (2017 SkyRise Chicago and Chicago CF Climb Race Recaps)

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:

My Fifth Race Up the Tallest Stairwell in the West! (Stair Climb for Los Angeles Race Recap)

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

Stairs + Obstacle Course = A Unique and Rewarding Race Experience! (Tower 2 Tower Race Recap)

I had a nice six-week hiatus from racing, but on Saturday I pinned a bib to my chest and a timing chip to my shoe, and participated in Tower 2 Tower, a fun and different stair race in Oxnard, California. This race is special because it’s the only race I’ve done that involves stairwells in two separate buildings. The race begins with a climb up the 14-story City National Bank Building…

…and ends with a

A New Workout in an Old Location. No, Wait, Make That TWO Old Locations!

I can’t believe it took me 15 years of living in Los Angeles before I checked out Ferndell. Shameful! Ferndell is a lovely 1/2-mile trail in Griffith Park that follows a meandering stream through a lush and green forest that seems downright out-of-place in a desert city like Los Angeles.

I’ve known that Ferndell was there. I even knew where it was. The trailhead is off a major street, Los Feliz Boulevard, that I’ve

My Kinda Sorta Olympic Debut! (2016 Los Angeles CF Climb Race Recap)

I competed in my 16th and final race of 2016 on Saturday, and the setting was a truly spectacular venue.

Yes, it’s a stadium. Yes, it’s a big one! (It holds 93,000.) And YES, it has hosted the Olympic Games TWICE. It’s the

My Race Registration Blitz… May I Have Some Money, Pretty Please With Sugar on Top?

Hope everyone had a fun long weekend. I spent most of it stuck on the couch, thanks to my bum foot. I binge-watched every episode of “Stranger Things” (loved it), but I was also productive: I registered for some autumn stair races!

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m about to humbly ask you to donate money to charity on my behalf for the umpteenth time, so grab your wallet. I need your help so I can compete in three fantastic events… including my first race in an Olympic venue!