Building endurance, step by step
One morning last month, a solitary figure started up Harvard Stadium’s rows of cold concrete. He avoided the easier, smaller steps, instead using long strides and an exaggerated arm swing to move up the wider seats. He turned to the stairs only for a relaxed walk back down, moved to the next section, and headed up again. Since 1903, the fields at Harvard’s iconic stadium have seen contests of all kinds: football, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, even ice hockey. But there’s a dedicated contingent that routinely runs and walks the ziggurat-style rows at Harvard Stadium whose efforts show that there are athletes in the stands as well. Some are members of sports teams, seeking the unique combination of cardiovascular and muscular intensity that bounding up the stadium seats can provide. Some are fighting the effects of a modern, inactive lifestyle or the inevitable slowdown of age. And most, at one time or another,...