The prospect of walking up even a couple flights of stairs sends the average person scurrying for the nearest elevator ? though for former rugby player Derek Holland, that is a luxury he has had to do without for the past few weeks.

In an effort to raise money for the Sunshine League and the Bermuda Diabetes Association, the IT engineer from Northern Ireland has signed up to compete in the Empire State Building Run Up next month in New York ? a race which requires the scaling of 1,576 steps in a mad, energy-sapping dash to the top of the iconic building?s 86 storeys.

The 12-year Bermuda resident began training in mid-December for the event and can be seen around four evenings a week charging up and down the stairwell of his Hamilton office building or in the stands at the National Sports Centre.

Though he has run May 24 on three occasions ? with a respectable best time of one hour 40 minutes ? Holland does not count himself as a seasoned runner and says he has no idea what to expect during the arduous climb up to 1,050 feet above Manhattan?s busy streets.

?I was a keen rugby player and only really took up running in recent years as a way of keeping fit,? he said.

?I found about about the Run Up in December and thought it would be a fun thing to do to raise money for charity. Initially I was just going to keep it within the office but when I sent out a few emails I was overwhelmed by the response I got. It?s grown into something far bigger than I originally imagined ? which is great.

?The training has not been too bad ? obviously running up and down steps is a lot more draining on the legs and the body in general than running on the flat but I?ve become more and more used to it.

?I?ve done a lot of the training in the stairwell of Victoria Hall where my offices are and the most I?ve done so far is 18 sets (2,340 steps) in one go.

?So I feel as if I can do the required steps but obviously the major difference is that in New York it will be a continuous slog whereas here I get a little break when I run downstairs.

?So I?ve got no idea what sort of time I can run. The record for the race is nine minutes and 33 seconds which I clearly won?t get anywhere near that but as one of my sponsors has offered to double their contribution if I finish in under 17 minutes, that is something I?m going to try and aim for. The problem is I won?t know how realistic that is until I?m in the middle of race.

?I don?t know whether I?ll do another one, but having looked into it there are a lot of other tower races all over the world so depending on how much I enjoy this one, maybe this could be the start of something long-term for me!?

The 30th Annual Empire State Building Run Up takes place on Tuesday, February 6.

Anybody wishing to sponsor Holland?s effort should call him on 298-6646 or email him at Derek.Hollandmarsh.com.