Run the Register

Climb the "Cash Register" Building

DENVER, CO – On Feb. 25, the American Lung Association in Colorado will hold its second annual Anthem Run the Register stair climb at the Wells Fargo Center (commonly known as the cash register building) in downtown Denver. More than 1,000 people participated in last year’s climb, making it the Lung Association’s biggest first-year event ever, and even more participants are expected this year.

“Climbing 47 floors really makes you notice your lungs in a way that nothing else can,” said Allison Wilcoxson, special event manager for the American Lung Association in Colorado. “So it makes sense for the Lung Association to do an event like this.”

Run the Register attracts its share of elite athletes, but people of all ages and abilities are taking on the challenge. Many participants are lung disease patients who climb all 1,014 stairs with oxygen tanks strapped on their backs.

“My wife has very badly damaged lungs from an illness that left her permanently on oxygen,” said Andy Mirdik, who participated in last year’s event with his wife. “She was a very active woman who climbed 20 fourteeners, downhill and cross-country skied and exercised three times week, but this illness all but wiped out much of her activity except the exercise. So doing the climb last year was a huge accomplishment. Seeing her come up those last few steps brought a tear to my eye.” Mirdik and his wife, Marilyn Sundt, plan to be back for this year’s event.

Worldwide, the sport of stair climbing, also known as tower running, is gaining popularity. Name any tall structure, from the Empire State Building to the Menara Kuala Lumpur, and there’s usually a stair climbing event held there. The Denver event is modeled after Hustle Up the Hancock, a similar climb held by the American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago.

“People want to accomplish something that not everybody has done before,” said Wilcoxson. “Many charitable organizations hold 5K runs or walks every year, but climbing to the top of one of Denver’s landmarks makes this event unique.”

For some, climbing the cash register building is a matter of personal fitness. “Even though I wasn’t sure I would be able to succeed, I decided to register to motivate myself to train,” said Stacey Shepherd, who participated in last year’s event. “Afterward, every time I saw the register building in the skyline, I remembered that I had taken on a challenge and succeeded. That sense of accomplishment gave me confidence.”

Run the Register raises funds to support the American Lung Association, which has been operating in Colorado since 1908. The Lung Association’s biggest programs locally include Champ Camp, a summer camp for children with asthma, N-O-T (Not On Tobacco), a smoking cessation program for high school teens, and the Denver Metro Clean Cities Coalition, which promotes clean air and alternative fuel vehicles.

The sign-up fee is $35 per participant, with a $47 suggested pledge minimum ($1 for each floor in the cash register building). The top pledge raisers will receive a travel voucher for two on Frontier Airlines. All participants will receive a timing chip, and plenty of free food and giveaways. Event registration is available online at www.RunTheRegister.com.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the title sponsor for Run the Register 2007. Other sponsors include Great-West, Maguire Properties, Wells Fargo, Kaiser Permanente, Scottish Re, Renewable Choice Energy, Alice 105.9 FM, Vectra Bank Colorado, Envirotest Systems, and Colorado Athletic Club.

About the American Lung Association in Colorado

For nearly 100 years, the American Lung Association in Colorado has been the lead organization working to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Lung disease death rates continue to increase while other leading causes of death have declined. The American Lung Association in Colorado funds vital research on the causes of and treatments for lung disease. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association in Colorado is “Improving life, one breath at a time.” For more information about the American Lung Association or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or log on to www.lungcolorado.org.