Chin Up: Sport of stair climbing draws the swift - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Jim Peelen, 74, practices his climbing at Atwater Park in Shorewood. He is preparing for his fourth Fight for Air Climb.(Photo: Contributed photo)

Have you ever gazed up at the U.S. Bank Center, Milwaukee’s tallest building, and thought:

I could run from the basement to the top…

…In five minutes right now.

…And again, when I’m 70 years old – just a bit slower.

Two men are currently training to do just that.

Sal Impellitteri, 36, is preparing for his fifth American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Climb, and if he wins the 30-39-year-old age category again – like he has every other year – he will be the first in Wisconsin to win in his age group five times.

Jim Peelen did his first Fight for Air Climb after he turned 70 and now, at age 74, he’s preparing for his fourth climb. Last year he made the 1,034-step climb in 8 minutes 24 seconds – and that was just his first. He then turned around and climbed up five more times as a Fight for Air "ultra-climber."

It’s not too soon to start thinking about – or preparing for – this popular event. On March 18, an estimated 3,400 participants will ascend the 47 floors to the top of the U.S. Bank Center to raise money for the American Lung Association.

In its ninth year in Milwaukee – there are 52 total climbs all over the country – a few people have emerged as the fastest climbers around.

Impellitteri and Peelen are local legends.

Impellitteri has climbed to the top of the U.S. Bank five times; four with the Fight for Air Climb, and once for the CF Climb for cystic fibrosis.

His fastest times were 5 minutes and 12 seconds in the Fight for Air Climb and 5 flat in the CF Climb. This year, he’s going for under 5 minutes.

“I know that the building record is something like 4:50,” said Impellitteri. “I’m going to aim for a sub-5 if I can, if everything is good and I’m healthy. And if the stair tower is empty, and I’m one of the first ones to go up, that helps too.”

Impellitteri ran for the Whitefish Bay High School cross country team and then competed on the track and cross country teams at Ball State. He ran the 5,000-meters in 14:53 and the mile in 4:12. He’s fast.

Sal Impellitteri simply allows his running to train him for stair climbing. He hopes to scale the U.S. Bank tower is under 5 minutes in March. (Photo: Courtesy of Sal Impellitteri)

Back in Milwaukee and working for Eppstein Uhen Architects since 2004, he still runs – and that’s all the training he does for the Fight for Air Climb. He’s kept up his racing in everything from 5Ks to half marathons, many of them through the Badgerland Striders running club, which puts on several races.

Impellitteri was always a good runner in hot conditions and in races with hills, which apparently translates well to stair climbing. U.S. Bank’s stairwells can get crowded and the humidity of the climbers will fog the top windows of the tower.

“Being an architect, we know that designing stairwells, there’s never any fresh air,” said Impellitteri, laughing. “It gets stale really quick. ... and stair climbing can be one of the loneliest sports events. No spectators can really watch you in the stair tower.”

But he may just have a talent for this unique sport of stair climbing. At Ball State, the exercise and physiology department tested Impellitteri on his efficiency as a runner in general, and his blood’s ability to carry oxygen in detail. His VO2 max score was 82.59.

“Anything above 80 was like world class,” said Impellitteri. “Apparently I’m efficient to bring oxygen to my muscles.”

Peelen is just good at trekking. From Nepal to Ecuador, Kilamanjaro to the Great Wall of China, he’s hiked all over the world.

Right here at home, he hikes up the stairs at Atwater Park in Shorewoord to get ready for this climb. Or, he climbs 14 flights of stairs of an apartment building

Peelen also has a background in running. He’s done the Boston Marathon five times, the first in 1975. But after a race in 1994, he came back to his car and saw a flyer for the CF Climb on his windshield. He signed up, and has done 20 of them since.

"I found out, you know what? Stair climbing is pretty hard," said Peelen. "And I was in a lot better shape then than I am now. It's quite challenging. Most people start out too fast and it's pretty hard to regain your composure in a staircase."

Still, Peelen has become a loyal and dedicated Fight for Air climber.

“That race is magical. They get so many volunteers and there’s so much excitement,” said Peelen.

Of the 52 Fight for Air Climbs nationally, Milwaukee's has gained the reputation for being one of the best in terms of turnout and funds raised. It’s fun, extremely well-run, and there’s a huge spread of food and drinks for climbers in the cafeteria after their climb. The view of the city and the lake up there can’t be beat.

The price for registration goes up at the end of this week, so sign up if you’re interested before that. The fundraising goal is $725,000; no other Climb in the nation has reached $600,000.

You don’t have to be as fast as Jim and Sal. Just willing.

“I see all different types of individuals, all different types of ages,” said Impellitteri. “That’s the cool thing about the stair climb – it doesn’t matter how old you are or what your abilities are, it’s an accomplishment. It’s not something that’s easy.”

Lori Nickel writes about health and fitness for the average person in her weekly Chin Up column. Email her at lnickel@journalsentinel.com and follow her on Twitter at @LoriNickel and on Facebook at facebook.com/ChinUpLoriNickel​.

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