1037 Stairs - I PWND YOU!
So, today was the big day, the day of the Step Up 4 Christchurch fundraiser down at the Gherkin Tower here in London.
In total I raised £250 which is awesome - that's over $500 NZ I think and I know it will do a lot of good, so I'm pleased. Anything that helps to make the lives of rumpelsnorcack's family and others in her city is a good thing! (FYI - if anyone would still like to donate, they will still be accepting donations for at least a few more days.)
So anyway, this morning I headed down to the tower with two of my friends. They came to see me off which was super nice of them. There was a bit of a festival going on at the base of the tower - live music, New Zealand food, lots of people! :) So first I figured out where to check in and was given my bib - I was number 394. After I got that, there was still plenty of time before my start time so we checked out the festival and Sarah took a few pictures of me in front of the tower.
When it was nearly time, I had to go check in all of my things - including my phone and camera, and then, after saying goodbye to my friends, I joined a large queue for all the people starting at 12:15. We were waiting for quite some time - It was at least 12:30 by the time they started letting people in.
When it was my turn, the security guards swiped me with one of those electronic wands and then let me into the building - where I joined another queue. There was a guy there who explained what would happen - that we'd be allowed up in 10 second intervals and that there was a sensor in our bibs that would start timing us as soon as we crossed the black line, it would stop when we crossed the black mat at the top. Then he told us that so far the fastest time had been FOUR MINUTES AND FIFTY FIVE SECONDS!!!! (OMG HOW????), and the slowest had been just over FIFTEEN MINUTES and had been a team of people dressed as the Loch ness Monster!
I was thinking oh gosh, that's fast... and I was certain I'd end up being way slower than that.
So anyway, my turn was approaching. The woman before me went - I'd spoken to her a bit in the line and she had her two year old son on her back which was impressive! I also talked to the girl behind me and she wished me luck and then suddenly it was my turn. So, I took a deep breath and I started climbing, and climbing. And climbing. There were signs on each level either saying how many steps we'd passed or with encouraging, very kiwi-like words of encouragement with cute little pictures. There were also staff members placed every few floors or so who cheered us on and encouraged us to keep going!
Around level 10 I finally had to stop for a second to catch my breath. I didn't stop long - I basically just took a few deep breaths, and then I continued on. Every 4-5 levels after that I had to stop again just to get a deeper breath or two and stretch my hamstrings or calves, but then I kept going - slow and steady. Even when my legs felt so heavy I didn't think I could lift them anymore, still I walked. Up, and up and up. And then, before I knew it I was at level 36, and the staff were telling me I only had 2 levels to go! So I walked slightly faster and there I was, at the end!
I came out of the stair corridor (it was a really boring basic one fyi - just a squarish, white walled stairwell with no windows - I'm pretty sure it went straight up the centre of the building) and there was a TV showing the times... I steped over the black mat and my time flashed on the screen: 14:01 I stared at it in shock for a moment and then started walking. I was in this sort of spiral hallway that had a wall on one side and the glass windows of the building on the other - the view was AMAZING and I so wish I had my camera. The view down the Thames was especially awesome.
The corridor wound around the building and then I was directed into a lift which took me from the 38th, to 39th floor. When I got off the lift someone handed me a cup of water and I was in a big lobby area, again with a phenomenal view. People were gathered in clusters either at the windows or at the tables scattered through the room that had water cups and jugs on them. In one corner there was a photographer who was taking pictures of each person who wanted with the view in the background. We wrote down our bib number, name and email address on a sheet and the pictures will be emailed to us. I was still pretty out of breathe and warm when they took the picture so my face is probably beet-red in the picture.
After I drank about 6 cups of water and was breathing normally again, I went on to the next phase - about 15 stairs that took me to the very, very top level of the tower - which was basically an open mezzanine with a bar. When I got there someone handed me a white ticket that I was able to take to the bar in exchange for a glass of pink champagne. Yummy. They also had someone up there doing face painting for the kids that were there.
I sipped my champagne and wandered around, appreciating the view and again wishing I had my camera. I bumped into the girl who'd started after me again and we talked for a bit along with another girl. Both of them were from NZ and both had been living in London for a while. One of them (the girl who started after me) had actually been to Christchurch since the quake and she said she was shocked by just how bad it is. It affected her so much that she's decided to move back to New Zealand (though to Auckland not Chch) because she feels the need to be closer to her family.
We chatted and drank our champagne for a bit and then I excused myself because I wanted to get back to the bottom so I could check in with rumpelsnorcack who was trying to stay up until I finished and it was rather late in NZ by that time. Sadly I missed her, but I was famished so I went to procure a NZ style burger from the outdoor grill. I also collected my bag of goodies and t-shirt that each participant was given. The goody bag had some honey and vitamins in it plus a water bottle and some information flyers - all in a drawstring bag.
Then I headed home. Where I have now been sitting and recovering - I'm doing okay - a bit achy but only when I actually try to walk - sitting is fine. I suspect tomorrow will be even more painful but I'll just dose up on IBprofen and it should be fine.
Anyway, I'm so glad I did it and I'm proud of myself for doing it. Plus, I beat the Loch ness Monster, and how many people can say that?
In total I raised £250 which is awesome - that's over $500 NZ I think and I know it will do a lot of good, so I'm pleased. Anything that helps to make the lives of rumpelsnorcack's family and others in her city is a good thing! (FYI - if anyone would still like to donate, they will still be accepting donations for at least a few more days.)
So anyway, this morning I headed down to the tower with two of my friends. They came to see me off which was super nice of them. There was a bit of a festival going on at the base of the tower - live music, New Zealand food, lots of people! :) So first I figured out where to check in and was given my bib - I was number 394. After I got that, there was still plenty of time before my start time so we checked out the festival and Sarah took a few pictures of me in front of the tower.
When it was nearly time, I had to go check in all of my things - including my phone and camera, and then, after saying goodbye to my friends, I joined a large queue for all the people starting at 12:15. We were waiting for quite some time - It was at least 12:30 by the time they started letting people in.
When it was my turn, the security guards swiped me with one of those electronic wands and then let me into the building - where I joined another queue. There was a guy there who explained what would happen - that we'd be allowed up in 10 second intervals and that there was a sensor in our bibs that would start timing us as soon as we crossed the black line, it would stop when we crossed the black mat at the top. Then he told us that so far the fastest time had been FOUR MINUTES AND FIFTY FIVE SECONDS!!!! (OMG HOW????), and the slowest had been just over FIFTEEN MINUTES and had been a team of people dressed as the Loch ness Monster!
I was thinking oh gosh, that's fast... and I was certain I'd end up being way slower than that.
So anyway, my turn was approaching. The woman before me went - I'd spoken to her a bit in the line and she had her two year old son on her back which was impressive! I also talked to the girl behind me and she wished me luck and then suddenly it was my turn. So, I took a deep breath and I started climbing, and climbing. And climbing. There were signs on each level either saying how many steps we'd passed or with encouraging, very kiwi-like words of encouragement with cute little pictures. There were also staff members placed every few floors or so who cheered us on and encouraged us to keep going!
Around level 10 I finally had to stop for a second to catch my breath. I didn't stop long - I basically just took a few deep breaths, and then I continued on. Every 4-5 levels after that I had to stop again just to get a deeper breath or two and stretch my hamstrings or calves, but then I kept going - slow and steady. Even when my legs felt so heavy I didn't think I could lift them anymore, still I walked. Up, and up and up. And then, before I knew it I was at level 36, and the staff were telling me I only had 2 levels to go! So I walked slightly faster and there I was, at the end!
I came out of the stair corridor (it was a really boring basic one fyi - just a squarish, white walled stairwell with no windows - I'm pretty sure it went straight up the centre of the building) and there was a TV showing the times... I steped over the black mat and my time flashed on the screen: 14:01 I stared at it in shock for a moment and then started walking. I was in this sort of spiral hallway that had a wall on one side and the glass windows of the building on the other - the view was AMAZING and I so wish I had my camera. The view down the Thames was especially awesome.
The corridor wound around the building and then I was directed into a lift which took me from the 38th, to 39th floor. When I got off the lift someone handed me a cup of water and I was in a big lobby area, again with a phenomenal view. People were gathered in clusters either at the windows or at the tables scattered through the room that had water cups and jugs on them. In one corner there was a photographer who was taking pictures of each person who wanted with the view in the background. We wrote down our bib number, name and email address on a sheet and the pictures will be emailed to us. I was still pretty out of breathe and warm when they took the picture so my face is probably beet-red in the picture.
After I drank about 6 cups of water and was breathing normally again, I went on to the next phase - about 15 stairs that took me to the very, very top level of the tower - which was basically an open mezzanine with a bar. When I got there someone handed me a white ticket that I was able to take to the bar in exchange for a glass of pink champagne. Yummy. They also had someone up there doing face painting for the kids that were there.
I sipped my champagne and wandered around, appreciating the view and again wishing I had my camera. I bumped into the girl who'd started after me again and we talked for a bit along with another girl. Both of them were from NZ and both had been living in London for a while. One of them (the girl who started after me) had actually been to Christchurch since the quake and she said she was shocked by just how bad it is. It affected her so much that she's decided to move back to New Zealand (though to Auckland not Chch) because she feels the need to be closer to her family.
We chatted and drank our champagne for a bit and then I excused myself because I wanted to get back to the bottom so I could check in with rumpelsnorcack who was trying to stay up until I finished and it was rather late in NZ by that time. Sadly I missed her, but I was famished so I went to procure a NZ style burger from the outdoor grill. I also collected my bag of goodies and t-shirt that each participant was given. The goody bag had some honey and vitamins in it plus a water bottle and some information flyers - all in a drawstring bag.
Then I headed home. Where I have now been sitting and recovering - I'm doing okay - a bit achy but only when I actually try to walk - sitting is fine. I suspect tomorrow will be even more painful but I'll just dose up on IBprofen and it should be fine.
Anyway, I'm so glad I did it and I'm proud of myself for doing it. Plus, I beat the Loch ness Monster, and how many people can say that?