Dold, Moon Win NYRR Empire State Building Run-Up

Dold's title makes it five in a row, tying Crake's and Waquie's record

NEW YORK - Thomas Dold, 25, of Stuttgart, Germany, and Melissa Moon, 40, of Wellington, New Zealand, were the winners on Tuesday, Feb 2, 2010 at the 33rd NYRR Empire State Building Run-Up, an event staged since 1978 by New York Road Runners at New York City's tallest building.

Dold's victory, in 10 minutes, 16 seconds, was his fifth in a row, a record that puts him in the company of only two other five-time Run-Up winners, Paul Crake of Australia (1999-2003) and Al Waquie of the United States (1983-87).

Moon, a former World Mountain Running Champion who has won the Towerthon in Kuala Lumpur's Menera tower and Auckland's Sky Tower Vertical Challenge, won here in 13:13 after taking the lead on the 20th floor.

Competitors in the Empire State Building Run-Up climb 86 flights - 1,576 steps - from the lobby of the world's most famous office building to the outdoor observation deck. There were 294 finishers this year, in three divisions (open, preliminary, and Brokers' Challenge). The Run-Up is an invitational race, with participants chosen from about 1,000 applicants.

Dold, who collapsed theatrically at the finish, recovered sufficiently to put his victory in context a few moments later. "It took me six years to get to this point, and to be here as the winner this day is quite amazing," he said. "To do this race six times and get five victories-it's unbelievable right now. And to be named along with Paul Crake as a five-time winner is a big honor." Crake, who broke 10 minutes four times in the Run-Up, was paralyzed in a cycling accident in 2006.

Moon, the ESBRU's first winner from New Zealand, was delighted with her victory. "If you know the history of this building-built in 1931, years ahead of its time-it's a privilege to run here," she said. "I've climbed taller buildings but I've never run a tower race that means more to me. I'm so proud that I'll be able to put this on my resume."

The second-place male finisher, Matthias Jahn of Germany, finished in 10:56; third place went to Matthew Byrne of Philadelphia (11:29). The women's runner-up was Gretchen Grindle Hurlbutt of New York, who ran 13:53; Amy Fredericks of Norwalk, CT, was third in 14:15. The oldest finisher was Ginette Bedard, 76, of Howard Beach, NY, who clocked 22:35.

Top Five Men
1) Thomas Dold, 25, GER, 10:16
2) Matthias Jahn, 26, GER, 10:56
3) Matthew Byrne, 34, USA, 11:29
4) Omar Bekkali, 31, BEL, 11:51
5) Javier Santiago, 39, USA, 11:55

Top Five Women
1) Melissa Moon, 40, NZL, 13:13
2) Gretchen Grindle Hurlbutt, 31, USA, 13:53
3) Amy Fredericks, 43, USA, 14:15
4) Rondi Davies, 39, USA, 14:23
5) Stacy Creamer, 50, USA, 14:25