The most unique physical fitness challenge (or friendly fitness walk) in the USA!

This event encourages physical fitness regardless of age, level of fitness, ability and available time. The Bisbee 1000 event allows you to use any combination of walking, running and resting to traverse nine sets of steps and numerous back-roads at a mile-high altitude. While conquering over 1,000 steps you will be serenaded by musicians playing at strategic points along the route (4.2 miles). Participants can compete aggressively for overall and age group prizes; enjoy a challenging fitness walk or family stroll, or any combination thereof (see video).

History of the Bisbee 1000

In 1990, headlines in the New York Times caught the eye of Cynthia Conroy, a new arrival to the charming Arizona mountain community of Bisbee. The Times article reported that Americans were returning to the gyms by the thousands, lured by the latest fitness craze: the newly invented stair climbing machines. At the same time, research from San Diego State University showed that walking upstairs was the cardiovascular equivalent of jogging at 5.3 miles per hour.

Also in 1990, the non-profit Save Our Stairs, Inc., was formed which sponsors the Bisbee 1000, an event that would draw on the resources of this mile high town.

Unique to Bisbee is a system of old and deteriorating stairways that course through its picturesque hills, affording views of the town's quaint houses and colorful gardens. The stairways originally followed the mule paths worn into the terrain during the heyday of Bisbee's copper mining past. To put men back to work during the Great Depression, the Work Projects Administration (WPA) had overseen building of the stairs over those same pathways. Early supporters reasoned that an event that attracted fun-loving and health-conscious individuals from coast to coast had the potential to be a gold mine for this old mining camp. Local business would benefit from the influx of participants from Bisbee and beyond, but equally important was the goal of generating funds to restore and maintain the old stairs themselves. The task of identifying and repairing the stairs for the Bisbee 1000 has been realized.

Word of mouth drew 200 people to the first annual event in October 1991.

Since the first Bisbee 1000, the event has grown each year, both in terms of the numbers of participants as well as the elements of the event itself. 1994 saw the advent of the Ice Man Competition, "an event within the event," which Conroy designed to honor the history of men delivering blocks of ice by hand up the stairs before there was electrical refrigeration. In the Ice Man Competition, entrants vie for cash prizes, racing up 155 steps while carrying a ten-pound block of ice with antique metal tongs. It is as much fun to watch as it is to compete. A very fit and energetic 70-year old still brags to her younger friends about the event.

It is the Bisbee 1000's broad appeal that distinguishes it from other physical competitions, such as 10Ks and triathlons. Among its ranks are the fiercely competitive as well as those who set a more leisurely pace. The demographics are interesting to observe. Entire families enjoy the event, with babies in infant carriers riding atop their parents' backs. One year, an 82-year old woman finished the stair climb while holding the hand of her 10-year old granddaughter. A retired school principal exclaimed she felt "high for days" after walking the Bisbee1000. The beauty of this event is that people of all ages and levels of physical conditioning can join in the fun. The awards are fantastic tiles created by master ceramicist Toni Sodersten. Merchants from throughout the county donate valuable prizes for a silent auction. There are fun prizes awarded to: the oldest to compete, the youngest to compete, those coming the farthest distance to the event. Random walker awards are presented to random recipients while they are on the course.

If the Europeanesque charm of Bisbee were not enough to draw you to Southern Arizona, then add the dedicated efforts of the City staff, police and fire departments, musicians serenading on the stairways, and citizens cheering you on your way to refreshing and exhilarating heights in our mile high city where everything is real and you meet yourself at every stair.

Arizona Governor's Award

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