WJBD - National Sports - Empire State Race is On

National Sports

NEW YORK (AP) - It's a race to

the top - well, to the 86th floor, anyway.

People from around the world are taking

part in a vertical race - up 86 flights of stairs at the Empire State Building.

That's a total of 1,576 steps, starting at the lobby and finishing at the

observation deck.

The annual Empire State Building Run-up is

being held Wednesday night.

More than 600 people are registered for

the event, including some world-class elite athletes. Seven-time champion

Thomas Dold of Germany is going for his eighth victory in a row. Among the

women, four-time winner Cindy Harris of the United States will be taking part.

Other

contestants come from countries including Belgium, Japan and Papua New Guinea.