The biggest vertical race

By Sunny Liu

Southbank resident Natalie Gurman is getting a big workout at the Eureka Tower on November 13, when she will be joining hundreds of others to race up the 1643 steps of the tallest building in Melbourne.

Ms Gurman has always had a healthy and active lifestyle. She visits the gym regularly and is training by climbing up and down stairs whenever she can.

It will be her first time to visit the Skydeck in years. But this time, she will be away from the tourists.

Ms Gurman has been living in Southbank for four years and was encouraged by her cousins in Mildura to join Australia’s biggest vertical race. She has previously participated in Run Melbourne, the Mother’s Day run and a few other fun runs.

She says the fund-raising part is the main reason she joins such events.

“I want to support disadvantaged people through participating in events like this. There is always a good vibe and energy at fundraising events,” she said.

So far, Ms Gurman has raised $600 for the Whitelion and Interplast charities that are partners of the Eureka Climb. Whitelion works to help young people from disadvantaged communities and Interplast offers free medical teams for regions suffering from poverty.

Ms Gurman says she is hoping to reach her $1000 goal.

She will be climbing in the untimed category, while people can finish climbing the 88 levels in several minutes in the competitive category.

“I just want to make it to the top without stopping. It’s great that I can tell people I climbed the most iconic building,” she said. “It’s less about the competition and more about the community.”

As the event falls on a Sunday, Ms Gurman hopes she will be able to go to work the next day.

“I have a motivation to help other people through this event. Also I can appreciate the view when I get to the top,” she said.

The Eureka Climb has been running for four years and so far has raised more than $60,000 for charities.

A few other Southbank locals will also be climbing to the top. The climb starts from 7.15am on Sunday November 13.