Alistair Brownlee takes bite out of Big Apple as he ACES Empire State Building Run-Up

He’s a two-time Olympic triathlon champion – the only one ever to achieve that – but this year is all about ticking off bucket list races for Alistair Brownlee.

The swim / bike / run legend announced his retirement from the sport just under a year ago and promised he would now focus on a variety of endurance challenges.

They included a podium spot at the famous Three Peaks Fell Race in the Yorkshire Dales in April and then a top 20 at the British Gravel Championships last month.

He’s set to tackle the “world’s most extreme triathlon” when he races Patagonman this December but before that came a very different event in New York.

World’s most famous tower race

The Empire State Building Run-Up (ESBRU), Presented by NYU Langone Health and Powered by the Challenged Athletes Foundation, is the world’s first and most famous tower race.

Runners come from around the globe to race up its famed 1,576 stairs which account for 1,000 feet of elevation.

While visitors can reach the building’s Observatory via elevator in under one minute, the fastest runners have covered the floors by foot in about 10 minutes.

Paul Crake of Australia still holds the course record with his time of 9:33 from 2003, while the women’s record is 11:23.

And the race’s official website says: “Leaders in the sport of professional tower-running converge at the Empire State Building in what some consider the ultimate test of endurance.”

Top 10 for Alistair

So how did Alistair Brownlee fare?

Very well is the answer with a top 10 placing from over 300 competitors. Last year’s third Fabio Ruga from Italy was the fastest this time as he stopped the clock in 10:47.

But Brownlee wasn’t far back in seventh place in 12:28.