Tower One Sydney 2026

Tower One 2026:

More Than Just a Climb

There was something different about Tower One this year.

Maybe it was the atmosphere. Maybe it was the incredible number of children taking on the stairs. Maybe it was seeing old friends, meeting new ones, watching people push through challenges and, as always, seeing the SCA community rally around one another.

Whatever it was, Tower One 2026 had a special spark.

Around 300 participants took on the challenge at One International Towers at Barangaroo , climbing their way through the spectacular Sydney building while raising an incredible $122,473 for Giant Steps.

And while there were plenty of impressive times and multiple climbs, the real story of Tower One was the people.

"Tower One is awesome!"

If you asked Peter Moore to sum up the day, there was no hesitation:

"The day OMG 😱 amazing 🤩. Had such a great time."

Peter loved everything from the location and easy public transport access to the laughs and good times in the stairwell.

"Great vibes during the climb, good laughs with other competitors and SCA members."

And then there was the finish line.

Balloons, streamers, cheering and encouragement greeted climbers as they emerged from the stairs.

Peter believes Tower One is an event everyone should experience, not only for their own health but also to help raise awareness of Giant Steps.

"Let's climb together and have fun!"

We couldn't agree more.

A PB, a torn meniscus and a whole lot of determination

For Bert Eldredge, Tower One was both a challenge and a triumph.

Despite nursing a torn meniscus and having limited training, Bert strapped himself up and made his way to the top.

And he didn't just finish.

He recorded a personal best of 7:13 and took first place in his age group.

His toughest moment came somewhere around the 30th floor.

"I just felt flat however I put mind over matter and picked up the pace again."

His training tip?

"Don't be scared to use the hand rails. That's what they are there for."

Bert also had plenty of praise for the volunteers and organisers who make the event possible.

"Without any of these people I would not be able to take part in this event."

And his message to anyone considering their first stair climb is one worth remembering:

"It's not a race. It's the gratification you feel accomplishing the stairs... when you reach the top you forget about the pain and languish in the sheer pleasure of what you have just achieved."

The next generation takes over the stairs

One of the standout sights of Tower One this year was the number of children taking part.

For SCA President Maria, it was something particularly special.

"I was blown away by the amount of children climbing and so many being the kids of Towerrunners."

Watching children grow up around the stair climbing community, set themselves goals and chase their own PBs is a wonderful reminder that stair climbing really can be a sport for everyone.

And then there was Brian Wilson.

Brian lined up with his four children, creating one of the cutest moments of the day.

This year was the first time since having children that Brian hadn't started the climb carrying one or more of his kids.

It didn't last.

When Frank Cervi spotted Brian and the children in the stairwell, he offered to take two of them up.

Young Lachlan was tired, so Frank put him on his shoulders and continued climbing.

Then seven year old stair climbing aficionado Nicola offered some very sensible advice to her brother:

"You can just walk you know?"

Lachlan's response?

"No, I like it up here."

Cuteness personified.

Friends inspiring friends

Sometimes all it takes is a friend saying, "Come and have a go."

Erin Kuhl has brought two friends along to Tower One for the past two years. They initially came to support Erin but soon discovered the fun, encouragement and community that comes with stair climbing.

This year, sisters Leah and Renee were back and decided to set themselves a goal of two climbs.

They did three.

And they did it wearing some cheeky T-shirts in honour of Erin, who had inspired them to take on the challenge.

Goal: 2 climbs.
Result: 3 climbs.

That's what we call exceeding expectations!

Sometimes turning up is the biggest achievement

Erin herself arrived at Tower One with a different kind of challenge.

She was nursing an injury and couldn't train as much as she would have liked.

Rather than pushing too hard, she concentrated on what she could do: some stair machine work, short runs, Body Pump classes and plenty of stretching.

It wasn't the perfect preparation.

But it was enough.

"Sometimes, preparation isn't about doing more — it's about doing what you can and turning up on the day!"

That's a message that applies well beyond stair climbing.

Six climbs. Seven climbs. Ten climbs. And then some...

Tower One isn't just about getting to the top once.

For some climbers, once simply isn't enough.

The SCA contingent certainly embraced the multi climb challenge, with John DuBoulay leading the way with 10 climbs, followed by Leah Morley with 9.

Others racked up impressive numbers throughout the day:

Climber Number of Climbs

John DuBoulay. 10

Leah Morley. 9

Erin Kuhl. 7

Jorja O'Hara. 7

Marcus Burgess. 6

Alison Hill. 6

Grayson O'Connor. 6

Kevin Thompson. 6

Cristina Ranola. 5

Maria Pia Piemontese. 4

Peter Moore. 2

Rod Unsworth. 2

Frank Cervi. 1

Kye Weis. 1

Renee Burgess. 1

Benji Burgess 1

And then there were the age group achievements.

Josh Freer clocked an impressive 5:35, taking first place in his age group.

Bert Eldredge finished in 7:13, also taking first in his age group.

Peter Warner completed the climb in 9:38, finishing fourth in his age group.

The fastest to the top

While Tower One is about much more than speed, we can't ignore some very impressive performances.

🏆 Fastest Male — Mark Bourne: 4:41

🏆 Fastest Female — Rebecca Stewart: 6:13

Congratulations to both, along with everyone who took on the stairs.

Preparing for Tower One

Peter Warner took his preparation into the Blue Mountains, walking the Grand Staircase at Katoomba.

For Erin, preparation meant adapting around an injury.

For Bert, it meant doing what he could with a strapped knee.

There is no single formula for preparing for a stair climb.

Some train hard. Some walk. Some use the stair machine. Some juggle training around injuries, work and family commitments.

And some simply decide to turn up and see what happens.

That's part of what makes stair climbing so inclusive.

And then there are the friendships...

Perhaps the best thing about multi climb events is that you don't spend the whole day climbing alone.

You see the same faces coming back around.

You meet people you've only ever spoken to online.

You encourage someone who is struggling.

Someone encourages you.

You share a laugh in the stairwell.

You celebrate together at the finish.

Erin summed it up perfectly after making a point of introducing herself to other SCA members:

"It was great to put faces to names and make some new connections."

Looking the part

There was also a little extra SCA pride on display at Tower One this year, with the new SCA jackets making their debut.

Worn with plenty of pride, the jackets looked fantastic around the building and certainly helped everyone stand out as part of the SCA community. They are the perfect finishing touch to the SCA look and, along with our team tops, make it easy to spot our members before, during and after the climb.

There is something special about seeing a group of SCA members together, proudly wearing the colours and representing the stair climbing community.

The new jackets definitely complete the SCA look! 💚💛

More than $122,000 reasons to climb

At the heart of Tower One was an important reason to climb: Giant Steps.

The event raised an incredible $122,473 for an organisation that provides education and support to children and adults on the autism spectrum and their families.

Giant Steps specialises in supporting people with complex needs through a world leading transdisciplinary program combining education with occupational, speech and music therapies.

And importantly, Giant Steps does not charge fees to families.

So every stair climbed and every dollar raised helps support the incredible work they do.

Thousands of stairs. One incredible community.

Tower One 2026 reminded us why stair climbing is about so much more than stairs.

It's about setting a goal and discovering you can go further.

It's about friends bringing friends.

It's about parents climbing with their children.

It's about strangers becoming friends in a stairwell.

It's about helping someone when the stairs get tough.

It's about the people cheering at the top.

And sometimes it's about putting a tired junior climber on your shoulders and hearing him say:

"No, I like it up here."

That, perhaps more than anything, captures the spirit of Tower One.

Congratulations to every climber, volunteer, supporter and fundraiser who made Tower One 2026 such a special day. A huge thank you to Steve Corrie for his passion, commitment and energy which shine through at these events.

And to anyone who watched from the sidelines thinking "I could never do that..."

Maybe next time, come and climb with us. 💚💛