By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MIDTOWN — The 34th annual Empire State Building Run-Up had New Yorkers sweaty and short of breath after climbing 86 stories into the Manhattan skyline Tuesday morning.
"It is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity. I don't think many people can say they ran the Empire State Building," Queens resident Kari Yn, 26, said before the race.
"I'm just hoping to get to the top," Yn, an event specialist, added. "It's funny, too, because I'm actually afraid of heights."
Almost 400 competitors completed the 1,576-step challenge at the 34th Street landmark Tuesday, including German champion and men's division winner Thomas Dold, 26, who had his sixth win in a row, and women's division winner, Australian Alice McNamara, 24.
Dold finished the race in 10 minutes and 10 seconds, and Mcnamara ran it in 13 minutes three seconds.
"It's really good to find out how fast you can go, how far you can push," Dold said of his reasons for competing in the race that many runners say is as mentally challenging as it is physically. "It's just the glory you can get."
Dold was one of 400 climbers in a series of races that covered different levels of competition, from first-time charity runners to seasoned contestants.
Some of the less competitive runners had powerful memories to keep them motivated, like Kristen Bagby, a 28-year-old breast cancer survivor who now runs several marathons a year.
"Going through that experience makes you realize just how short life is," Bagby, a Coast Guard officer stationed in Long Island said of her cancer treatment two years ago. "I love experiencing whatever I possibly can. And the race was a great experience."
Not everyone felt glorious after the climb, however.
"This year, I didn't train and it was a big mistake. It really hurt," Robert James Reese, 27, said. "It's like your lungs were just on fire. And the higher the floors were the harder it was, and it started to smell bad."
"But it was really cool to get to the top of the city," he added.
