Towards the Moon

Wellington mountain-running and marathon champion Melissa Moon, 40, won the women’s section of New York City’s annual Empire State Building Run-Up, passing 300 runners and ascending 1576 steps to the finish line in 13 minutes, 13 seconds. “I’ve had a taste of stair racing,” said Moon. “I’ve done Taipei 101, which was [then] the world’s tallest. I’ve done the Sydney Sky Tower. Having now run this race, all I can say is wow! It will go to the top of my resume s the most prestigious thing that I’ve done.” Moon, who trained in Wellington’s Majestic Centre, is believed to be the first New Zealander to win the 33-year-old race.