European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 11, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday August 11, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 9 f a Quot is a a a a a a a a Ivko. A. He \ a a a amp War a a info or a a v s 4mxv i a \ twin a Imi it i a a x  racers sprint up the Hodgepodge of Steps right along the Cable tracks to the Summit of mount Niesen in the Swiss Alps. Christian Aebersold left won the  by step racers put Swiss stairs on the map Muelener Switzerland apr the worlds longest staircase has six times As Many Steps As the Empire state building and is nearly twice As Long As its nearest rival in China. But it is virtually unknown even in Switzerland. In a bid to end its obscurity local enthusiasts this week staged the first official race up the 11,674 Steps of mount Niesen in the Swiss Alps. Organizers say the Niesen Reppen run will be an annual event attracting the worlds top racers in a test of stamina and skill up a Hodgepodge of Concrete wooden and Metal Steps. For the rest of the year the Steps give maintenance workers Access to a Cable railway and Are off limits to others. The 80->ear-old railway runs from this Bernese Oberland Village up the 7,794-foot Mountain. The lineup at wednesdays race included a sports professor a diving instructor a ski tour organizer and a shop assistant. They were among 20 people All men competing for the $7,692 prize. Swiss medical student Christian Aebersold averaged 223 Steps a minute to Complete the dizzying course in 52 minutes 26 seconds. Jairo Correa of Colombia clocked 53.1i minutes. Correa is the world Champion of Mountain racers whose sport involves running up mountains. . Runner Jay Johnson said one of the reasons he entered the race was because it was different from the usual courses in the Mountain racing circuit. The narrow Steps through tunnels and Over Bridges spanning great drops extend for Only 2.1 Miles but scale 5,344 feet from Valley to Summit. After finishing sixth in 56.42 minutes Johnson the 1988 Mountain racing Champion declared the race great fun. A but i had problems with the open Metal Steps toward the top because when i looked at the drop below 1 Felt dizzy a he said. One of the few competitors who had raced on Steps before was Villa Frades from Colombia. He scaled the 6,600 Steps at the chinese Temple of Tai Chun Mike Ballmann a former stuntman who helped organize the race said his goal was to put the Niesen Reppen on the map. A it is a great pity that we have the worlds longest Steps Here in Switzerland but they Are mostly unknown a he said. Ballmann said he first hit on the idea of organizing a race when he scaled the Steps in 1979 while training for a race in Nepal. He then persuaded fellow Mountain enthusiast and Swiss mathematics professor Jacques Berlie to take up the Challenge. Berlien a time last year of one hour and three minutes in a run televised worldwide set the Standard for this year. Fabiola Rueda a two time women a world Mountain racing Champion also ran up mount Niesen on wednesday but was not competing. Rueda a colombian National married to her Swiss Trainer clocked 1 05.50 to set the target for women racers next year. Ballmann said he hoped four to five women would participate next year. But the Overall number of competitors will stay fixed at 20 for safety reasons he  gets paid Day off for anti drinking Effort Aurora. Colo. Apr an air Force training base is rewarding itself with a paid Day off for going 30 Days without a Drunken driving arrest. Quot we think it s a very positive thing Quot said maj. Gen. Dale Tabor commander of the Lowry technical training Center in suburban Denver. A it took everyone s dedication or us to make the goal and everyone deserves to reap the  the More than 4,800 officers and enlisted personnel will get a full Day of. Tabor said 1,252 civilians who work on the base and participated in the program w ill get half a Day off w Ith pay. Officials said it took nearly two Sears to reach the 30-Day goal. Since the program began in october 1988,  personnel twice went 29 a its without an arrest Only to have someone arrested on the last Day. After reaching the 30-Day goal however it took Only three Days for a Lowry student to be stopped off base for driving under the influence officials said. The program is not w without critics. A a Why should american taxpayers pay for a Day of Lvi asked Don Anderson a retired air Force sergeant. A a it a ridiculous its got to be costing in the six  the Cost of the Day off is hard to calculate Tabor said but it will be made up by adding night classes. Sixty people attached to Lowry were arrested for driving under the influence in the past year