FAQS: COVID-19 Edition

Not all stairs are equal. This is one reason why Unleashed at Stadium Bowl is unique.

Anaerobic Effort/Mouth-Breathing: The stairs in Stadium Bowl are uneven in the rise of the stairs, and the elevation gained in each flight is unusually steep. Basically, it is impossible to run Unleashed at Stadium Bowl without being a mouth-breather. The race is more anaerobic than aerobic. Each flight is a separate sprint up the stairs and an ability to catch your breath on the next down.

Data points for 1 lap (1628):

814 stairs up, 814 stairs down.
588 feet of elevation gained and descended.
.73 – .75 mile in linear measurement.

Data points for 2 lap (3256):

1628 stairs up, 1628 stairs down.
1176 feet of elevation gained and descended.
1.46 – 1.5 miles in linear measurement.

Data points for 10-lap (16,280)

8140 stairs up, 8140 stairs down.
5880 feet of elevation gained and descended.
7.3 – 7.5 miles in linear measurement.

To get the best ‘mouth-breathing’ anaerobic effect, you need to find stairs that are long enough for a 20-second-ish effort and that are steep. I have been unable to find a perfect replication, but below are a few examples.

For example:

Wilson Way Slide & Stairs: 6 times up and down = 223 feet of elevation and .70 mile in linear distance.

UW-Tacoma: 10 times up and down from Pac Ave to Jefferson = 287 feet of elevation and 1.70 mile in linear distance.

11^th Street Bridge: 8 times up and down = unable to get clear data from app, but it was the shortest in linear feet.

Neither the 11^th Street Bridge, Wilson Way Stairs & Slide, nor UW-T taxed me in the same way Stadium Bowl does. While it is not the same as Stadium Bowl, all three are still good workouts.

Some online sites to find stairs: Public Stairs, Community Walk, Community Walk Stairs – Tacoma, Community Walk Stairs – Seattle

Another option to stairs are really steep hills. Solo Point hill between Steilacoom and Dupont is 154 feet and .3 miles. It is REALLY hard. You can run that up and down 4 times to achieve the same elevation gain as Stadium Bowl without the stairs.

We encourage everyone to post their locations and identify other terrific ‘mouth-breathing’ workouts. Be sure to tag us on Facebook and Instagram #unleashedatstadiumbowl or give us a shout out on Twitter @Unleashed_KSF

Mapping your race

How it works: (outdoors)

1. Download the Strava running app to your phone.

2. Join Club (Unleashed at Stadium Bowl)

3. Find climbable stairs (Good websites: Public Stairs, Community Walks Stairs Tacoma, Community Walk Stairs Seattle ) or your own favorite running haunt.

We count the downs because they hurt as much as going up.
- 1628/1-lap: 814 stairs up, 814 stairs down; 1628 total steps; 588.5 ft ascended and 588.5 ft descended; .75 mile course. Average time 00:22. Fastest time 10:30.
- 3256/2-lap: 1628 stairs up, 1628 stairs down; 3256 total steps; 1177 ft ascended and 1177 ft descended; 1.5 mile course. Average time 36:50. Fastest time 24:27.
- 16,280/10-lap: 8140 stairs up, 8140 stairs down; 16,280 total steps; 5885 ft ascended and 5885 ft descended; 7.5 mile course. Only time ever recorded: 2:23:02

When choosing a staircase keep in mind the number of stairs, elevation, mileage, and time to complete. Unleashed at Stadium Bowl is a quick race, but brutal in execution.

4. Record activity as run in Strava anytime between 4-11 December.

5. Screenshot your finish. Take a selfie and showcase your KSF sponsor button. Make comment about how hard it was, and how tough you are and tag us on your social media so we can celebrate with you: #unleashedatstadiumbowl @Unleashed_KSF #kindredsoulsfoundation @KindredSouls05

6. Receive kudos on Facebook & Strava.

7. Eat, drink, be merry.

How it works: (Indoors)

1. Download the Strava running app to your phone.

2. Join Club (Unleashed at Stadium Bowl)

3. Find Stairmaster in your gym. Floors: 82 floors for 1628; 164 floors for 3256; 820 floors for 16,280.

4. Record activity as run in Strava. While Strava does not track on machines, you will have your location and time. Take picture of number of floors/stairs climbed.

6. Receive kudos on Facebook & Strava.

7. Eat, drink, be merry.