Some of the best material that is available on stair racing has been posted by P J Glassey (see "others at work" page of this web site. He gives detailed information with videos.
Collected on this page are some notes from my own experience in stair racing. It is also includes tips gleaned from others who are good at it.
1. Take the steps two at a time (if you have trained for it). This is not hard and fast. For kids, one step at a time is better. And for adults, one step at a time can work. In fact, my first race up the Willis Tower, I took the stairs one at a time. My time was 19:50 (min:sec). The next year (2011), I took the stairs two at a time. My time was 19:47 (just 2 1/2 seconds faster than my previous time). I lost a little time with pacing issues the second time. But, as you can see, taking steps one at a time can still be pretty fast. It will not be sufficient for breaking through the next level.
2. Expect high heart rates. You probably should check with your doctor before climbing competitively. When I train hard, my heart rate goes up to 190 - 200 beats per minute. It starts much lower than this and rises over time. It is only the last few minutes where it is this high. Within three minutes of stopping, my heart rate is somewhere around 120-135 beats per minute.
3. Be careful not to start out too fast. Starting out too fast is the biggest mistake that people make. It leads to premature fatigue and slower overall climb times. Even elite climbers have to guard against starting out too fast. In my own case, I like to use the same speed for the entire race (start to finish).
4. Work on your pace. Some elite climbers go by their inner instinct on this one (I eventually joined this group). Some use a timing device on the wrist. Some use metronome clicks which are set for about one click for each landing. For two years, I used a metronome which clicked one time for each step. Since I take the steps two at a time, this meant I took one stride for each two clicks. This gave me a chance to readjust my steps on landings if needed (rather than one click per each stride). For a shorter climb like the Oakbrook Terrace Tower (680 stairs) I set the metronome clicks for 216 steps per minute. For a longer climb like the Willis Tower (2108 stairs) I set the metronome for 192 steps per minute. In 2012, I slowed down in the middle and allowed for three clicks per step. That set me behind my goal. I did this because I was afraid my heart needed to slow down a little. I am not sure if I could have safely pushed through that level of discomfort. I have discovered that I have to hold back for the first 5-10 floors. After that, I have to push myself (especially after 50 floors). Metronome clicks help on both ends (slowing down the beginning and speeding up the ending). Starting in November 2013, I discontinued using metronome clicks. Now I seek to tune in to signals from my body to know when to speed up or slow down. The metronome was helpful for a couple of years until I could get more experience with pacing. Related to pace is the matter of landings. I seek to minimize the number of steps on landings. In the Willis Tower, for example, there are about 220 landings. If you take one second on each landing, that is nearly three and a half minutes just for the landings. I seek to limit myself to one or two steps per landing.
5. Get adequate nutrition. I eat before each race. I try to be done eating three hours before I start my climb. This way, food is not sitting in my stomach. At the same time, if the gap is too long, there could be an energy slump in the climb. I have found what goes in the mouth affects output. I am vegetarian. As much as possible, I eat vegan food (whole foods, plant based meals). I try to consume greens each day (they give a boost in endurance and hasten recovery after hard training). I avoid things that clog up the arteries (meat, cheese, etc.).
6. Get adequate hydration. I already drink quite a bit of water each day (around a gallon a day). I sip water through the day on the day before the race. I drink around a quart of water each morning. On race day, I take a disposable water bottle with me into the building. I keep sipping water until just before the climb. I discard whatever remains just before the climb. I normally use a refilled bottle so as not to waste purchased water.
7. Get sufficient rest. This applies in two directions. The first one has to do with sleep. It seems that the most important night of rest is the one that comes two nights before the race. The actual night before the race is important, but pre-race jitters will cut down some of its effectiveness. Plus, you have to get up earlier than normal if you are in the elite line up. The second aspect has to do with tapering. Some people state that tapering is not needed before a stair climb race. I have found that it makes a difference. For example, my first Willis Tower race, I used a taper. The second one, I did not. Even though I made other improvements, I was only able to improve my score by 2 1/2 seconds the second time. If I had used a taper, I could have done even better (this actually happened in 2012). For me, I train hard until a week before a race. Then, I cut down the total time (or number of stairs). But I keep the intensity up. At this time (until I learn something better), I train at a faster speed than race speed during the last week (but for a shorter time than in previous weeks). Related to this is my experience of Sabbath. I do no training on Sabbath (sundown Friday to sundown Saturday). This gives my body a complete recovery day once each week. I am still active (walking, etc.), but not involved in serious training.
8. Avoid over training. I am no expert in this. But I have found it helpful to only train three days a week. For me, this typically means Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I alternate days so that there is recovery time. I have discovered that I need some form of recovery exercise on the in between days. For me, this most often consists of walking (I get to walk the dog this way). I have found that when I take total rest rather than walking during off days, it actually inhibits recovery (muscle soreness continues to the third day if I do not walk on the off day). I do not understand all the mechanisms at work. But they work.
9. Have a way to deal with pain. Actually, discomfort would be a more accurate term. For me, I do not use any drugs--not even caffeine--to deal with the discomfort. I sing songs in my head (not vocalizing the tunes audibly). These are often hymns. I have preselected the ones that fit the pace of the race. It helps take the mind off the discomfort. I am discovering that I need to switch from song to song during the climb to help overcome the overwhelming urge to slow down. An alternate way to deal with this is to chant something positive, such as "Stronger, Higher" or "Up, Up, Up." There are many others that can be used.
10. Train your brain for the job. I am absolutely honest with my brain. What I do in training informs my brain for the actual race. The brain has a mysterious way of saving energy for emergencies. I try to utilize this fact. By climbing at a steady pace, the brain has something to work with in gauging energy output. By training at faster speeds than race speeds, it helps compensate for the fact that racing is only up (much of my training is up and down--in shorter stairwells).
The above information has gotten me to what could be called the second tier of stair racers. Further adjustments will be needed to get into the first tier. But these methods put me in the top 2.5 percent in the Willis Tower race and about the top 1.5 percent at the Oakbrook Terrace Tower race. I train hard three days per week. For two years, I trained in fairly short buildings. I typically emphasized distance one day (climbing up to 4250 steps in one session--sometimes split into three faster segments). I emphasized speed on another day (climbing at 232 steps per minute). Then I emphasized strength on another day (taking the steps three at a time for a couple thousand steps). Now, I sometimes have access to taller buildings. I still emphasize strength on one (or two) days and speed on the other one (or two days). I have reduced my total distance training to 2000 - 3000 steps for a single session.
My current (and future) frontiers:
There are a few more variables that can make a measurable difference in the outcome on race day. I still have a lot of experimentation to do before I understand more optimal approaches in regard to these variables. Other elite stair racers have written about these variables or have spoken with me about them. I will only mention them in passing since I do not really know how to work with them yet.
1. Before a race, a warm-up can make a significant difference. A tricky aspect of this has to do with energy consumption. Without a warm-up, the body is not prepared to best utilized stored energy (glycogen and fat). In addition, a warm-up helps to prepare the muscles for action. But a warm-up also takes away energy. I do not yet understand how much is the right amount (number of minutes or repetitions). I also do not have a clear understanding of how much time should elapse between warm-up and and the race. In addition, the right amount probably needs to be modified for age.
2. A foam roller is said to help get the knots out of muscle fibers. This is supposed to help the muscles function better during a race. The physiology makes sense. But I have not tested this yet. I have no idea how often or to what extent this should be done.