“Héloïse breathed a sigh of relief. As the first woman to reach the top, she can finally relax. ‘I am proud of myself, I will be able to tell my children about it,’ she says. Julie, 33, also shares this pride. ‘I am very happy!’ 40 floors, 165 meters high, and over 800 steps, the Vertigo race is the challenge that nearly 400 people took on this Thursday afternoon at the Légenda tower (formerly EDF tower) in La Défense. The goal is simple, climb the floors of the tower at one’s own pace or as quickly as possible. The record is 4 minutes and 58 seconds.”
“More than just a simple challenge, this race is also charitable. It is organized by the NGO Play International and the Playground structure for over twelve years now. ‘The objective is to raise funds,’ recalls Guillemette Petit, the director general of the NGO, to develop sports education programs in France and abroad.”
“The individuals raised 50 euros in donations to participate. ‘We target companies in a team-building event logic, it is quite popular,’ she continues. The association has set up a donation system for companies. For individuals who wanted to take on the sports challenge, they had to raise a minimum of 50 euros in donations. ‘I looked around and people donated quite quickly,’ says Héloïse.”
“On the esplanade of La Défense, a few steps from the tower, a village was set up: stands, with an associational bar, a cross-country field, activities like judo or basketball, and even a cheerleading team came for the occasion.”
“This race also attracts curious people from all over France. Like Mathis, the first to reach the top of the tower, who traveled from Montpellier to take on the challenge. ‘I was looking for a challenge but there is no tower high enough in Montpellier,’ he says with a smile.”
“Mathis climbed the 800 steps in just over 5 minutes. The 22-year-old student had a goal in mind before starting. ‘I was here to beat the record, unfortunately it didn’t happen this year but I will come back.’ He finished the ascent with a time just over 5 minutes. Simon, an engineer, was not driven by the spirit of competition. At least not for this year. ‘I came for fun with my friends, we didn’t have a time goal, the goal was simply to finish. But we will come back next year with a little more challenge.'”
“For others, this race combines the useful with the pleasant. ‘I wanted to do it for a good cause,’ says Joecia. ‘I work in the non-profit sector and I thought that doing some sports at the same time would be great.'”
