Sometimes you have to step outside your training comfort zone. Climbing the Calgary Tower stairs is a perfect example. No pun intended. And besides it’s been a long winter.
The stairs are not open to the public but on every Tuesday in March (and for special charity events), the Calgary Tower stairwell is open to people to walk, run or climb to the observation deck between the hours of 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. It’s dubbed The 802 Challenge because there are 802 steps to the top where a panoramic view of Calgary awaits.
Generally it can take people between 10 and 30 minutes, according to the event website.
Calgary Tower in the distance from the Centre Street bridge.
This past Tuesday, I decided to give the stairs a go. How hard could it be? I decided I would climb at least twice. After work, I ran around the Bow River for about six kilometres before I headed into the direction of the infamous Calgary Tower.
I had only been at the top once – a few years ago – so I was excited to go up again and get some pictures at the top. I arrived around 4:30 p.m. I bought my ticket online so I could avoid potential line ups.
Around the corner from the entrance, I signed a waiver to a smiling tower greeter. People were milling about, changing into shorts and chatting away.
Calgary Tower stairwell
I didn’t waste anytime getting started. I began to climb. In retrospect, I think I started off too fast because by the time I reached a quarter way up, my heart rate was racing. I had to stop several times to catch my breath as others passed me on the stairs.
I couldn’t believe how challenging it was. My gosh. I had no idea. My hopes that I wouldn’t have any trouble were quickly dashed. Earlier in the day when a few people mentioned how strenuous the climb was, I just shrugged it off.
Thankfully I had a couple hours to reach the top so I could take my time. Although I didn’t think it would take me hours but it sure felt like that in the moment.
More than halfway there. 
Murals on the walls.
I was pleasantly surprised to find wilderness murals on the walls on every flight of stairs. It gave me something to look at while I was trying to catch my breath. The murals were painted as part of a project with the Alberta Wilderness Association. What a lovely surprise (and perfect distraction from my heavy breathing).
I reached the top, where I took a few minutes to catch my breath and take a few pictures. It took me about 14 minutes – walking. That Tuesday I couldn’t imagine running up the stairs. Nonetheless it was a great workout for my heart.
But there were dozens of people running or hiking quickly. Police officers in uniform. High school students. A 70-year-old woman. Firefighters in full gear. I was impressed – such a diverse crowd.
I didn’t see as many people on the way down the stairs. I realized later that many chose to take the elevator down then take the stairs up. I wanted both incline and decline benefits so I skipped the elevator.
Managing to conquer the stairs twice, I decided two times was enough. I had overheated early in the climb on the first climb. Note to self: Wear less clothing next time. According to Strava, I covered 1.78 kilometres and 285 metres.
I still had another 3K to home so I called it quits. It was getting a lot busier when I was leaving. There were lots of people just arriving including what looked like a group of teenagers. (Dodged that bullet.) While it was challenging as heck, I can’t wait to do it again!
Have you ever climbed the Calgary Tower? Are stair climbing a part of your cross training? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.