Schickler: Westport trainers prepare for Empire State Building race

By Eliot Schickler

Local athletic trainers Jay Mountain and Krisztina Banyai, are ready for the challenge.

Mountain, the owner of FAST Fintness, and Banyai, who is one of his trainers, will be competing Feb. 8 in the 35th annual Empire State Building Run-Up, and for the second straight year, it will be raising funds for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. They will not only be trying to finish the 86 flights, 1,576 steps race amongst the upper echelons of competitors, they are also in the midst of raising money for the foundation, with proceeds going towards research to find a cure of multiple myeloma.

According to Alicia O'Neill, endurance events manager for the foundation, multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that originates in plasma cells. It is the most common type of white blood cell cancer and the second most common blood cancer. Yet the five year survival rate for myeloma remains one of the lowest of all cancers.

Sherron Velez, age 57, was diagnosed with multiple myloma in Jan. 2006 and has inspired Mountain's mission since he met her through a client.

"When I heard about her struggles, it makes me want to train harder and do it for her," Mountain said. "I feel lucky I'm healthy enough to do this race and my kids think its cool I'll be climbing the Empire State building ... so it's a win-win for me. I raise money for a great foundation, and I compete in a race that's a part of New York City [NYC] history."

Although Mountain works out regularly as a personal trainer and is in outstanding physical shape, he still goes through grueling training, which challenges him.

Mountain practices stair climbing four days a week, going to the 22-floor Landmark building and 38-floor Trump building in Stamford, and on Sundays, he practices at the 60-floor Silver Towers in NYC. As of Jan. 26, he has climbed more than 3,000 floors and 60,000 steps.

"It's one of the most difficult things I've done, it's like running a half mile straight uphill," Mountain said. "There's a lot of things that happen to you [while training], your legs burn, your chest burns, and you are constantly out of breath."

He said he hopes to finish the race in under 12 minutes.

One advantage Mountain has is that he works out on the versa climber (a stair-climbing exercise machine) , and other cardio equipment, at his gym.

"My favorite piece of cardio equipment is the versa climber, and it's only natural that I run a race that involves stairs," Mountain said.

Banyai works fulltime at GE Capital and has competed in grueling races. She has run in half-marathons and 10K races and had done Kayak for a Cause across Long Island Sound and Spin Odyssey for the American Cancer Society.

She knows this upcoming race will be just as, if not, more grueling than her past endeavors.

"It's definitely going to be a tough race, and I anticipate not being able to walk for a week," Banyai said.

Cancer has struck members of Banyai's family, which gives her added motivation to run this race. The thrill of climbing the Empire State Building increases the incentive to compete.

"It's definitely a good feeling to [be able to] say [on Feb. 8] you ran up the Empire State Building, and not many people can say they have done it," Banyai said.

While Mountain and Banyai are in excellent physical shape, life is a struggle for Velez. She a lot of time seeing doctors. Her wish is for her cancer to go into remission for five years -- long enough to see her two sons, Jeffrey, a sophomore at Brown University, and Brandon, a Greens Farms Academy junior, graduate from college.

It gives me hope, and I hope the remission period will be a bit longer," Velez said. "If I can get five years remission, it's a lot."

She's grateful for what Mountain and Banyai are doing for her and everyone who is afflicted with multiple myloma.

"I just think it's wonderful they are taking their time and energy to raise funds to find a cure for this disease," Velez said. "Just the training they go through is tremendous and mind-blowing to me. It takes special people to do it and they [Mountain and Banyai] are special people."