I raced myself, and I won...

Everyone has moments in their live that define who they are today, and shape who they are tomorrow. For me, this weekend was one of those.

As everyone knows by now, I joined "boot camp las vegas" several months ago, with dedication and determination to build a better me. Not long into my adventure, Paul, my awesome trainer, mentioned the "Scale The Strat" event to the class, and I think I immediately chimed up "that sounds awesome, I want to do it". The idea of making it to the top of 1,455 stairs intrigued me. Weeks, and possibly months went by and the idea lost some of its appeal, I was having second thoughts about signing up. That is, until Paul sent out an email to the entire class, calling me out by name, for not having signed up yet. That was the motivation I needed, I signed up with out hesitation, I was going to climb the tower.

Now came the part that seemed like the biggest challenge of the whole ordeal, raising a minimum $250 for the American Lung Association. I knew I had a lot of friends, and family that would probably support me, but $250 seemed like a lot, how was I going to raise that much? I crafted an email to my family, asking for their support, shortly followed by an email to all of my friends at work. The response was immediately overwhelming, after my first TWO donations, I was already at $250. I no longer had to worry about reaching the minimum, my only concern at this point was, "how the hell am I going to climb that many stairs". The flood of support and donations continued to stream in, I raised my fund raising goal to $500, thinking that it would be a stretch. Little did I realize how much love and support I had behind me. A blink of an eye later, and I was already approaching the $800 mark. So much for my goal of $500, and no sense in setting a new goal of $750, I was well on my way to $1000, that was my new goal.

The astonishing amount of donations was enough to get me to the starting line, but it wasn't going to magically get me up 1,455 stairs to the top of the tower, I had a lot of hard work ahead of me. Paul to the rescue. He knew I had the drive and dedication to make the climb, and he made it a point to prepare me physically for it. There were nights of running stairs with a 40lb weight vest, miles of running, squats and lunges until I could take no more, and all sorts of other exhausting exercises. Being in probably the best physical shape of my life, I knew climbing the tower wasn't going to be a matter of "if I make it to the top", it was simply a matter of "how fast can I make it".

In the midst of training and preparation for the climb, the support and donations continued to pile up, and reached an absolutely amazing amount - $1,600. I never would have imagined being able to raise this much, but everyone stepped up big time. Before I go any further, I want to give a HUGE thanks to everyone who donated - John Y, Corey O, Mike G, Terry P, Joe L, Todd H, John H, Chris B, Don & Hope A, Sharee M, Dee & Gary W, Brian R, Lisa W, Greg N, Melissa B, Carolyn E, Pennie D, Lynn C, Mel L, Devin E, Peter F, Kelly Y, Carolyn P, Dana P, Linda H, Chuck D, Rob V, Sarah R, Brian F, Ian Y, Lauren P, Judy M, Bill D, Lori M, Robert L, Nadia M, Valencia J. You guys are absolutely awesome, and your support means everything - with out you, I couldn't have done this.

The sun rose on day one of the event, Feb 20th, which initially seemed so far away, but came quicker than expected. It was time to put myself to the test, mentally and physically. I arrived at the Stratosphere in a mix of emotions - excited, nervous, confident, energized, scared, and more. I have never done anything like this before, it was sure to be an adventure no matter what.

The race began with climbers staggered one minute apart, and before I knew it, I was next in line. 30 seconds......15 seconds...3, 2, 1 - I was off. I raced through the start, skipping every other step on my climb to the top. Several flights in, my legs got tired, I was out of breath, I was dizzy. Shit, did I start too fast, was I going to be able to make it to the top? I slowed my pace to every step, took deep breaths, and fought past the extreme pain and fatigue. The race was a blur at best, even though each story was clearly marked so racers could keep track of their progress, I really don't remember much of the climb. Thirteen minutes and thirty one seconds after my first step, I reached the finish line. Hardly able to walk, let alone breathe, I was standing at the top of the tower, I had crushed my original goal of 15 minutes. I was ecstatic. The results board was updating with each racer that finished. Initially, I was ranked the 30-somethings, it was looking like I would be in the top 50 racers, and have a chance to race again the next day in the finals. As the last of the racers made it across the finish line, I fell to 56th place.

If there is one thing I hate, its losing, whether its second place or 56th. Suddenly, my goal-beating 13:31 was no longer good enough. I should have done better, I should have fought harder, I should have been faster. Did I mention I HATE losing. Congratulations to Paul, my boot camp instructor, and Julie, the owner of boot camp for finishing in the top 50 - but I couldn't be happy unless I was racing with them again on Saturday, I was determined to find a way.

I showed back up at the Stratosphere Saturday, with one goal in mind - make it back into that tower and improve my time. I approached the registration area and explained that I had ranked 56th on Friday, and I was curious of any of the 50 finalists had dropped out of the race. Sure enough, there were 4, dropping the racer count to 46. Great! I let them know that I was interested in making another climb in the place of one of the racers who could not make it. With out thought to my question, I was told "no". This answer did not work for me, but I was not about to take "no" for an answer. Remember, I hate to lose, and at this point, I was losing. I knew pleading my case to a volunteer working the registration counter was no use, I asked for someone "in charge".

Brian from the American Lung Association was called over, and I re-explained my desire to race again. With the same "no-can-do" attitude, he told me I would not be able to race. He indicated that "only the top 50 racers can race today". I reminded him that there were only the top 46 racers returning, and that the people who finished 51-55 weren't begging to race, so by default, I should be given the opportunity to fill one of the open spots. He didn't see things my way, and was insistent that I would not be able to race. I wanted to race, I needed a compelling reason, something that would make them rethink the "rules". With out hesitation, "Brian, I have raised $1,600 for the American Lung Association, I want to climb that tower today. Who do I need to talk to, what do I need to do to make that happen". By this point, he realized I was serious, a somewhat shocked look came over his face, and he told me to give him a few minutes while he tried to see what he could do.

He bounced around the room, talking to several upper-ranked folks from the Strat and ALA, pleading my case. After several minutes, he returned to where I was waiting and told me that they wanted to give me another chance to run. Had I really won my first battle of the day? I was walked over to the registration table where they checked me in, I was given a racer number, and added to the list of climbers. It was official, I was getting a second chance to prove to my self that I could do better, I could fight harder, I could be faster. If it was not for the amazing support and fund raising efforts, I am convinced they would have stuck to their "rules" and turned me away - thanks to everyone who backed me, I got a second chance that I shouldn't have gotten.

As I approached the starting line once again, there was no one behind me, I was the final racer of the "Scale the Strat 2009". I had to do it for myself, and I had to do it for my supports - I was not willing to let either of those down. I learned from my mistakes from the day before. I started slower, taking every step, I controlled my breathing, and I was more focused and determined than ever. I passed the spot only a couple stories in, where just the day prior I was exhausted, this time full of energy and going strong. As I reached the final 100 or so stairs, the exhaustion had definitely set in, and I had to dig deep to keep the motivation to keep going. I heard my fellow boot campers at the top cheering me on, calling my name. I couldn't let them down either. I started sprinting up the stairs, two at a time, there was nothing that could stop me. I crossed the finish line at 12 minutes and 38 seconds, nearly a full minute faster than my first run.

This time, I truly had something to be ecstatic about. I raced my self, and I won. I had an overwhelming sense of personal satisfaction, knowing I achieved something that sounded impossible to some people, and knowing that I crushed not only my climb time goal, but my fund raising goal as well. I may not have been the fastest climber there, but I gave everything I had, and I couldn't be happier with how I did.

This has been an incredible experience for me, and it would not have been possible with out the support everyone has given me. I now know I can achieve anything I set my mind to, and I cant wait for the next opportunity to do so.

With all of the love and thanks I can give, this goes out to everyone who believed in me and made helped me make all of this a reality.