Walking to the top of the Empire State Building sounds like a daunting enough task. Running up all 1,576 stairs sounds like an exercise for a masochist (or the clinically insane).
↵But that's exactly what a group of touched runners did Tuesday morning in the 34th annual Empire State Building Run-Up. Which is exactly what you think it is -- a run. Up the stairs. From the lobby of the Empire State Building to the roof. All 86 floors.
↵Germany's Thomas Dold won for the sixth consecutive year, finishing in 10 minutes, 10 seconds (six seconds faster than his winning time from 2010). Alice McNamara of Australia, competing in the event for the first time, won the women's field, in 13 minutes, 3 seconds.
↵Darryl Strawberry was scheduled to run in an effort to raise money for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. But he called in sick, according to Newsday's JIm Baumbach, who added, "it was very clear he had no idea what he was in for. So better off he didn't try."