The Challenge

I remember the first time I climbed the CN Tower. It was in 2007: the year I moved to Canada from Mexico City. I thought it would be fun to reach the top through the stairs, but I never realized how difficult was to climb 1776 steps. I read that the record in climbing the tower was set by a man who reached the top in the insane time of 7 minutes and 52 seconds, just around 10 minutes less than my first time: 17 minutes and 4 seconds.

Since my first climb, the tower has become a big challenge. Not only is it a way to help our environment by raising money for the World Wide Foundation (WWF)—the ones who organize this annual event—it has become a personal challenge that motivates me to be better in many aspects of my life.

The next year I trained a lot. Almost 3 months of hard work was wasted by a stupid mistake: I showed up on a beautiful Sunday sunny morning only to learn that the climbing event was the day before, on Saturday...

Anyway, the following year (2009), I did my second attempt. At that time, we were living in a 20-floor building that was perfect for training. In fact, the stairs of that building were very similar to the ones at the CN Tower. I climbed the tower in 16 minutes and 49 seconds, besting my personal record by around 45 seconds.

In 2010 I climbed with my friend Fernando Amilpa. He is also an avid participant in active sports, especially outdoor ones like rock climbing and mountain biking. I set a new personal record, breaking the 16-minute barrier: 15 minutes and 49 seconds. It was an exhausting climb.

The next year I promised my daughter Daniela that I would do a time below 14 minutes if she was able to win the first place in Tumbling and Trampoline, the competitive disciplines she takes part in. And so, we both agreed to do our best to make that happen. Alas, my result was not even close to my goal. The climb took me 15 minutes and 54 seconds, a time even higher than the previous year’s. Daniela didn't have any problem with her goal. She got a first and a second place in her first competition.

I was so proud of her and so disappointed in myself that I decided to go for a second attempt in October in a climb organized by the United Way Toronto. Again, I trained around 3 months and this time set a new record of 14 minutes and 43 seconds. It was more than one minute less than the last climb, but not below 14 minute mark: the time I had promised.

I believe perseverance is everything, so I will be training hard for the next climb in April 2012 and I'm sure I will be setting a new personal record. I know I CAN!

Until then, see you on the top...