Ready, set, climb!
And climb they will — up 1054 steps of staircases strewn throughout the historic mining town of Bisbee, with its breath-taking 5538-foot elevation.
This is the Bisbee 1000 stair climb, celebrating its 24th year on Oct. 18. Men and women coming from as far away as California and Texas will compete for a purse of $1000 for the first man and woman to finish.
Contestants will meet at the courthouse in Old Bisbee at 9 a.m. The challenge will cover 10 waves, each contestant seeded according to their projected time of completion and chipped timing. The first wave of competitors will be least 15 Sierra Vista firefighters competing in full firefighting gear.
The course is a 4.5 mile figure-eight loop featuring nine staircases leading through some of Bisbee’s most scenic views. Local musicians will be stationed at the foot of every staircase to perform for the contestants and spectators. The course is spectator-friendly, said Stephanie Peavey, the event’s technical director. Onlookers will get to see their family and friends competing at least three times.
Cynthia Conroy, president of the nonprofit Bisbee Vogue Inc. and founder of the Bisbee 1000, said the event would also feature at least 25 locally brewed craft beers on tap at the third annual The Best in the West Craft Beer Festival. A unique beer to be featured at this event will be Salute, brewed by the Old Bisbee Brewing Company. Conroy said the beer tastes like white wine.
Copper medallions will be given to those who participate and cash prizes will be awarded to those who finish in the top three. This is the first time in the event’s history that cash prizes will be awarded, Conroy said.
Bisbee’s maze of stairs was built in the early 1930s by the federal Works Progress Administration to employ residents after the Great Depression. The stairs are now maintained by Bisbee Public Works, said Andy Haratyk, operations manager for the city of Bisbee.
After this summer’s heavy rainfall, many of Bisbee’s roads including those linking the staircases are in dire need for repair.
[learn_more caption=”If you plan on going:” state=”open”]
What: Bisbee 1000
When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost of general admission for Craft Beer Festival: $25 ($5 off for participants)
Registration for race: $100
VIP for Craft Beer Festival: $40
Details: Contact Cynthia Conroy at bisbee1000info@gmail.com or call (520) 266-0401.
Et cetera: Registration deadline is October 13th[/learn_more]
Contact reporter at burgoynew@email.arizona.edu / @burgoynew
Republished in the Herald/Review