NYRR Empire State Building Run-Up: Dold Wins Fifth; Moon Wins Debut

German equals record for most victories; New Zealander is 1-for-1

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Thomas Dold, 25, of Germany won his fifth consecutive NYRR Empire State Building Run-Up today, tying Al Waquie of the United States (1983–87) and Paul Crake of Australia (1999–2003) for most victories in the 33-year history of this race up 86 flights (1,576 steps) to the observation deck of New York’s tallest building. Melissa Moon, 40, of New Zealand won the women’s race in her debut.

Dold’s winning time was 10:16—slightly off his best of 10:07, which he ran to win last year’s race. “To do this race six times and get five victories—it’s unbelievable right now,” he said. “And to be named along with Paul Crake as a five-time winner is a big honor.” Crake, the Run-Up course record-holder at 9:33, was paralyzed in a cycling accident in 2006.

Dold took the lead from the start and widened it to a 40-second victory margin over his countryman Matthias Jahn, 26, who finished in 10:56; third place went to Matthew Byrne, 34, of Philadelphia, who ran 11:29.

Moon, whose overall victory as a masters (40+) athlete is unusual, finished in 13:13. “If you know the history of this building, 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 résumé.” The tower-racing specialist and former World Mountain Running Champion took the lead on the 20th floor and pulled away to win by 40 seconds.

Gretchen Grindle Hurlbutt, 31, of New York City, a 2008 Olympic Trials marathoner, was second in 13:53, and Amy Fredericks, 43, of Norwalk, CT, took third in 14:15.

The race's oldest finisher, 76-year-old Ginette Bedard of Howard Beach, NY, finished in 22:35—a performance worthy of a much younger athlete. Other excellent age-group performances were turned in by Tim Van Orden, 41, of Bennington, VT (1st 40+, 12:22); Stacy Creamer, 50, of New York City (1st 50+, 14:25); Henry Wigglesworth, 52, of Washington, DC (1st 50+, 12:23); Mary DeNitto, 61 (1st 60+, 18:11), and Piero Dettin, 72, the race’s oldest male finisher (1st 70+, 16:58).

The Brokers’ Challenge division, contested among three-person teams representing local brokerage firms, many with offices in the Empire State Building, was won by Team GTL of CB Richard Ellis. Second place went to the G&E Stair Masters from Grubb & Ellis, and the Square Feet, also representing CB Richard Ellis, took third.

The Run-Up is an invitational race; the field is chosen among some 1,000 applicants. This year’s race had a total of 294 finishers, second-most in event history behind the 309 finishers in 2008.