Runners Race Up Empire State Building

NEW YORK (AP/CBSNewYork) - What seems like a nightmare to some is a dream to others.

Thomas Dold has won the Empire State Building Run-Up for the sixth year in a row. That makes him the first six-time champion of the race.

25-year-old Dold, from Stuttgart, Germany, hurtled himself up 86 flights - 1,576 steps - in just 10 minutes and 10 seconds. That's six seconds faster than he managed to do it last year.

For the women, Australian Alice McNamara's fleet feet carried her to the top the fastest. Her time was 13 minutes, 3 seconds.

Dold faced some stiff competition, including former New York Mets pitcher Darryl Strawberry. The iconic building itself may soon be facing its own competition in the New York City skyline - but it seems doubtful the annual race would change its venue.

The race is organized by the New York Road Runners Club. This year's race benefited the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

The runners took off early Tuesday morning, when it was gray, rainy and wet.

"I dreamed that it would be a beautiful, sunny day and I'd have these gorgeous pictures and my hair wouldn't look terrible," runner Mari Anne Brassil told 1010 WINS. "When I got up there it was sleeting, and hailing, and windy and my pictures looked a mess but it was really exhilarating." Brassil lives with Multiple Myeloma.

She was one of the roughly 400 people who attempted the run.

Would you ever attempt the run-up? Is this sport too extreme? Sound off in our comments section.