Empire State Building Run-Up
& IronHikeComparison86 floors. 1,576 stairs. Up only.
Or 13,288 stairs, up and back down.
The icon and the staircaseWe have deep respect for the Empire State Building Run-Up, the best-known stair climb in the world, running since 1978. It asks how fast you can climb 86 floors. Kuwohi asks how long you can keep climbing a mountain staircase, every stair up and every stair back down, for 12 hours.
Empire State Building Run-UpHeld in New York City since 1978, the Run-Up climbs 86 flights, 1,576 stairs and about 1,050 vertical feet from street level to the 86th-floor observation deck. Climbers 18 and older enter by lottery, elite climbers by selection, and the fastest reach the top in about 10 minutes. The course record is 9:33, set by Paul Crake in 2003.
IronHike KuwohiIronHike’s first staircase Event: 12 hours on the AT Approach Trail staircase at Amicalola Falls, 11 laps, 16.5 miles, 6,644 feet up and back down and 13,288 stairs, 604 up and 604 down every lap. Run it, hike it or power-hike it, Solo or as a team. Kuwohi from $180. Done in 10 minutes? The Olympus Mons Ultra is waiting at the top of the same staircase: 144,960 stairs in 84 hours. Veteran-owned and operated.
The honest assessmentIronHike is better on 13, the Run-Up on 3, and 4 are a tie. The Run-Up wins on legend, weather and getting there: since 1978, indoors, in Midtown Manhattan. IronHike wins on the staircase: more than eight times the stairs, every stair back down on foot, 12 hours, open registration, three Series a year, teams, free tent space and a far lower cost per stair.
Empire State Building Run-Up & Kuwohi💪 More badassery for the buckLegend: ✓ Better = Tie ✓ Good – Not offeredEmpire State
Building Run-Up
New York, NY - USAIronHike
Kuwohi
Amicalola Falls State Park, GA - USAStairs ✓ 1,576 stairs, up only ✓ 13,288 stairs: 6,644 up and 6,644 back down Vertical Elevation ✓ About 1,050 feet up ✓ 6,644 feet up and the same back down Way Down ✓ The climb ends at the 86th-floor observation deck ✓ Every stair back down on foot, part of the Event Duration ✓ About 10 minutes for the fastest climbers ✓ 12 hours Location = Empire State Building, 20 W 34th St, New York City = The staircase at Amicalola Falls State Park, Dawsonville, Georgia; Kuwohi also runs at Mohawk Mountain, Cornwall, Connecticut Scenery = New York City from the 86th-floor deck at the finish = Georgia’s highest waterfall and the North Georgia mountains, every lap Dates ✓ Once a year in October ✓ 3 Series a year: December at Amicalola, June and October at Mohawk Registration ✓ Lottery for general and tenant entries; elite heats by selection; ages 18 and older ✓ Open registration Pace = Timed climb, with elite heats = Self-paced: no minimum laps, rest when you need to Price Range ✓ About $190 for a lottery entry ✓ Kuwohi $180 Solo, $135 each as a Trail Buddy, $90 each as a Trail Family Cost per 1,000 Stairs ✓ About $121 ✓ About $14 Solo, $7 each as a Trail Family Teams – None listed ✓ Trail Buddy (you both save 25%) or Trail Family of 4 (you all save 50%) Training Plan Included – None listed ✓ Custom training plans from IronCoach Tasha and the Cadre Lodging ✓ On your own in New York City ✓ Free tent space steps from the course, plus a group rate at the Amicalola Falls Lodge Alumni Discount – None listed ✓ Generous Military & First Responder Discount – None listed ✓ $70 off with code brave70 Cause-Friendly = Yes: charity entries with NYU Langone Health (2025) = Yes Weather ✓ Indoors, whatever the weather ✓ All weather: December at Amicalola runs from the 30s to the 60s°F; June and October at Mohawk from the 30s to the 70s°F Getting There ✓ Midtown Manhattan, steps from the subway ✓ Amicalola is about 1 hour 15 minutes from Atlanta; Mohawk is about 1 hour from Hartford World Stage ✓ Running since 1978; course record 9:33 (Paul Crake, 2003) ✓ None. Not a race. You vs the staircase. Scorecard= Tied on 4 of 20 comparisonsEmpire State Building Run-Up✓ Better = 3✓ Good = 9– Not offered = 4Kuwohi✓ Better = 13✓ Good = 3– Not offered = 0We built this comparison from each organizer’s public information, with real respect for every event on it. Scenery and the Better / Tie / Good marks are our own honest judgment, and “Not offered” means not offered to the best of our knowledge. Details change, so check with the organizer before you register, and if you spot something we should update, tell us. We’ll gladly fix it. IronHike is not affiliated with or endorsed by any event on this page. Last checked October 2026.
See Kuwohi ⛰️💬 “I spent three weeks convincing myself I wasn’t fit enough. Then I signed up for Kuwohi. Then I finished it.”
— Matt · IronHike Kuwohi Finisher
▲ ▲ ▲We want to see you on our Mountain too!The Run-Up asks how fast you can climb 86 floors. Kuwohi asks how many times you can climb a mountain staircase, and walk back down it, in 12 hours.
Lost the lottery, or already have the Run-Up on your list? Add Kuwohi. No lottery required.
It’s you versus the whole mountain (up and down) and you against who you were yesterday.
Current EventsPick your Series 🎯12 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 12 laps · 15 miles · 7,140’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 11 laps · 16.5 miles · 6,644’ · 13,288 stairsSee Kuwohi24 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 23 laps · 28.75 miles · 13,685’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 22 laps · 33 miles · 13,288’ · 26,576 stairsSee Double Kuwohi24 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 24 laps · 30 miles · 14,280’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 24 laps · 36 miles · 14,496’ · 28,992 stairsSee Answer the Bell - Basic48 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 35 laps · 43.75 miles · 20,825’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 34 laps · 51 miles · 20,536’ · 41,072 stairsSee Denali72 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 49 laps · 61.25 miles · 29,155’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 49 laps · 73.5 miles · 29,596’ · 59,192 stairsSee Everest84 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 84 laps · 105 miles · 49,980’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 84 laps · 126 miles · 50,736’ · 101,472 stairsSee Answer the Bell - Full84 Hours · Top 4 Hardest Ultra Events in the World⛰️ Mohawk: 122 laps · 152.5 miles · 72,590’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 120 laps · 180 miles · 72,480’ · 144,960 stairsSee Olympus Mons Ultra💬 “I thru-hiked the AT in 2019. Started at Springer. Got dropped off at the Springer parking lot instead of hiking the Approach Trail because everyone said it was brutal. Been thinking about those 604 stairs ever since. Not this time.”
— Renee · AT Class of 2019 · Registering for Kuwohi
❓ Get your questions answered here.
Training, gear, tenting, night laps, what to expect at Mohawk and Amicalola, and plenty more. Or ask your own.
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