One thousand, six hundred and forty-two. That is how many stairs are in Melbourne's tallest skyscraper, the Eureka Tower. And that is how many stairs the fit people of Melbourne will climb on November 25 to raise funds for the Fred Hollows Foundation.
Just 20 men and 20 women will race to the top in the Elite Runners heat, which will begin at 6.15am. Think you have what it takes to be one of them? If you can prove you can climb all 88 floors in under 15 minutes (women) or 12 minutes (men), you can apply to be one of these ultrafit runners. Just so you know, the record for women was set by Alice McNamara in 2011 (9 minutes 33 seconds), and the record for men was set in 2013 by Mark Bourne (7 minutes 34 seconds).
For everyone else, there is the competitive stair climb, with prizes for fastest, most money raised and best costume. There is also an emergency services section for those who are paramedics, firefighters or police. Emergency services personnel who want an extra challenge? You can do it wearing your full gear, including helmet, protective clothing and breathing apparatus.
The Fred Hollows Foundation has restored sight to 2.5 million people in 25 countries. Surely that's worth being a little out of breath?