Stair Climb events are great fun! Stairs are extremely steep; much more sustained than most trails; think "Trap Dike" for comparison. If you are actually competing to do your best time, the event is totally anaerobic after about the first minute.
The Stair Climb in Albany is coming up on Thursday evening, 3/22/07. The Corning Tower is 42 floors, so it's about half the size of the Empire State Building climb. Contact the Cystic Fibriosis Foundation at 518-783-7361 if you want more info. or to participate.
For those who like to compete, the course record at the Corning Tower is 4:50. My PR (from 2005) is 5:47.
TCD