How long does it take to run up 20 floors? At least one minute and 49 seconds. This was the speed of the winner of the Dutch tower running student championship that Dodeka, the Student Athletics Association of Delft, held last year in the EEMCS highrise. On Friday evening, 28 November, the match returns to campus.
D.S.A.V. is organizing the stair run for the second time. (Photo: Thijs van Reeuwijk)
At 90 metres and with 20 floors, the Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science Faculty is the tallest building on campus and the second tallest building in Delft. It is thus hardly surprising that D.S.A.V. Dodeka chose this location for the second time for a tower running competition. You probably guessed it, but the idea of the running event is to run up the stairs as fast as you can.
Anyone cowed by the top speed of one minute and 49 seconds can breathe easily. In contrast to 2024, this will not be a Dutch national student competition, but a TU Delft one. “Last year it was a Dutch student championship so the very best student athletic world took part. This year, we want to feature other TU Delft students, student sports clubs, and staff members,” explains Maaike Bukman, one of the co-organisers.
Stuck in the lift
The entrants can do the 4 x 5 relay race, the 10 floor race, or the 20 floor race. When the entrants in the last group reach the top, they will have climbed 402 steps. Every runner’s time is recorded using a time registration system designed by Dodeka itself. When the runners reach the top floor, they press the button to record their finish. “We saw last time that people really enjoyed pressing the button.”
Last year part of the competition took an unexpected turn. About 23 entrants got stuck in the lift of the 90 metre tall EEMCS Faculty building. The fire brigade had to come and free the runners. “To avoid this, we will carefully check the maximum number of people allowed in the lift,” says Bukman.
Categories
Two hundred students and staff members can compete for a gold medal. “About 100 people have registered, so we are well on the way.” This year, staff members and students will each have their own category. This is new too. While the staff member category is only for the 10 floor competition, staff members may also sign up individually for the 20 floor category. Their time will be grouped together with the students’ time.
Relay racers need to create their own groups of four to sign up as a group. The start time depends on the distance and after the competition there will be a party in the Blue Birds’ – the baseball and softball association – canteen.
- The organisers are looking for another 10 to 15 volunteers who want to help with activities like registration and keeping watch on the floors. Sign up here (in Dutch) if you want to volunteer.
- Sign up here to compete. Of the 200 places, 100 are now still available.
- The staff members’ category (10 floors) starts at 17:00, the individual category of 10 floors at 18:00, and the 20 floors at 19:10. The relay race will be from 20:30.
- You also need to register for the afterparty. The doors open at 21:30 and close at 22:30.
Do you have a question or comment about this article?
a.m.debruijn@tudelft.nl
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