The climb to the top

By Sunny Liu

Docklander Kaushik Sridhar has a tradition of running a race for a good cause every year.

This year Mr Sridhar is going to climb the 88 floors at Melbourne’s tallest building, the Eureka Tower.

He last completed the race in 2013, when he just moved to Melbourne from Sydney.

He finished in 15 minutes and felt like he conquered the world.

“It was such a nice feeling when I reached the top. It was daunting when I looked up the stairs from the bottom of the building, but I did it,” he said.

And the secret to climbing more than a thousand stairs in 15 minutes is going for a daily walk along the harbour.

Mr Sridhar and his wife live in an apartment building by Victoria Harbour and have a routine of going for a long walk after dinner every day.

Mr Sridhar has been participating a race annually since 2009 and has collected many medals.

In 2014 and 2015, he joined the 14km “City to Sea” from the CBD to St Kilda.

He says the races are not just for his own fitness but also for a greater cause.

Last time he raced up the stairs, he raised $500 for a cancer research.

“I won’t join an event if it’s just a competition. I want to help others,” he said.

Mr Sridhar balances the weekend training with his jobs. He is a full-time accountant and also an adjunct lecturer at the University of Melbourne.

“I will be well-prepared for this year’s race, though last time I got spaghetti legs,” he said.

He is aiming to finish the race in 12 minutes this time.

This year’s Eureka Climb will take place on November 13.