Dubai: Meet athletes who climbed Burj Khalifa's 160 floors in 31 minutes with 10kg vests
The Burj Challenge demanded exceptional physical and mental endurance. Competitors had to climb 160 floors of the world's tallest building while wearing weighted vests — 10kg for men and 7kg for women — adding intensity to the already gruelling race.
Team Colorado, consisting of Anthony, Ethan, Jack, Isaac, Veejay, and Ryan, claimed victory in the Burj Challenge. Competing against 50 teams from cities worldwide, each wearing weighted vests, they successfully completed around 3,000 steps as they raced up 160 floors of the Burj Khalifa and secured the win.
'The climb was extremely difficult. We knew exactly what we wanted to do, and we executed our plan as a team, trusting each other,' said Veejay as he reflected on the team's victory.
While the team initially anticipated a different challenge for the year, their excitement grew when the Burj Climb was announced. 'Back in Colorado, we climb mountains for fun. But this time, we were ready to conquer the tallest building in the world,' shared Veejay.
Team Colorado completed the climb in 31 minutes and 10 seconds. Coordination among the members was crucial to avoid tripping over one another. 'It was a true test of endurance. Our lungs were burning, and our heart rates were skyrocketing. Pacing ourselves was key to preserving energy,' Veejay explained.
'One of our team members was completely exhausted towards the end, and we had to pull him up for the last few steps. We aimed to complete it in 30 minutes but missed it by just one minute,' added veejay.
Despite being from different parts of Colorado and not training together regularly, Dubai has become the place that unites them as a team. 'We all have an obstacle course racing background, and the challenges this year wer the hardest yet in the Battle of the Cities. We've been competing for the past three years, and each year, it's become progressively tougher,' Veejay noted.
He further mentioned that the organisation gets better each year, with transparent scoring and excellent judges. "This is the best event we participate in all year. It's our first time making it to the finals, and we're hoping to take home the win," Veejay added.
Team Zwolle from the Netherlands, consisting of Mathijs, Joey, Rick, Frank, Bo, and Carlos, also took on the Burj Challenge.
Mathijs reflected on their experience, saying it was much harder than expected. 'The ascent took longer than we anticipated. We reached the top in 40 minutes and 20 seconds after climbing nearly 3,000 steps."
For Team Zwolle, the challenge was made even tougher by the rope tying them together while carrying a 10kg vest. 'Other teams were faster, and the climb was both mentally and physically exhausting,' Mathijs added.
The team had prepared for the Burj Challenge a week in advance but admitted that they underestimated its difficulty. 'We couldn't reach first place because we may not have put in as much effort during our training,' Mathjis said.
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For Team Colorado from the US, the Burj Challenge in the Dubai Games was an unexpected but thrilling addition to their competitive obstacle race journey. When they first heard about it, they were excited and eager to take on the challenge, drawing from their experience of climbing mountains back home. The Burj Challenge demanded exceptional physical and mental endurance. Competitors had to climb 160 floors of the world's tallest building while wearing weighted vests — 10kg for men and 7kg for women — adding intensity to the already gruelling race. Team Colorado, consisting of Anthony, Ethan, Jack, Isaac, Veejay, and Ryan, claimed victory in the Burj Challenge. Competing against 50 teams from cities worldwide, each wearing weighted vests, they successfully completed around 3,000 steps as they raced up 160 floors of the Burj Khalifa and secured the win. 'The climb was extremely difficult. We knew exactly what we wanted to do, and we executed our plan as a team, trusting each other,' said Veejay as he reflected on the team's victory. While the team initially anticipated a different challenge for the year, their excitement grew when the Burj Climb was announced. 'Back in Colorado, we climb mountains for fun. But this time, we were ready to conquer the tallest building in the world,' shared Veejay. Team Colorado completed the climb in 31 minutes and 10 seconds. Coordination among the members was crucial to avoid tripping over one another. 'It was a true test of endurance. Our lungs were burning, and our heart rates were skyrocketing. Pacing ourselves was key to preserving energy,' Veejay explained. 'One of our team members was completely exhausted towards the end, and we had to pull him up for the last few steps. We aimed to complete it in 30 minutes but missed it by just one minute,' added veejay. Despite being from different parts of Colorado and not training together regularly, Dubai has become the place that unites them as a team. 'We all have an obstacle course racing background, and the challenges this year wer the hardest yet in the Battle of the Cities. We've been competing for the past three years, and each year, it's become progressively tougher,' Veejay noted. He further mentioned that the organisation gets better each year, with transparent scoring and excellent judges. "This is the best event we participate in all year. It's our first time making it to the finals, and we're hoping to take home the win," Veejay added. Team Zwolle from the Netherlands, consisting of Mathijs, Joey, Rick, Frank, Bo, and Carlos, also took on the Burj Challenge. Mathijs reflected on their experience, saying it was much harder than expected. 'The ascent took longer than we anticipated. We reached the top in 40 minutes and 20 seconds after climbing nearly 3,000 steps." For Team Zwolle, the challenge was made even tougher by the rope tying them together while carrying a 10kg vest. 'Other teams were faster, and the climb was both mentally and physically exhausting,' Mathijs added. The team had prepared for the Burj Challenge a week in advance but admitted that they underestimated its difficulty. 'We couldn't reach first place because we may not have put in as much effort during our training,' Mathjis said.
