12-year-old girl shows up to CN Tower climb, beats all competitors

Thousands of Canadians arrived at an iconic national landmark over the weekend to test their speed in a race completely different than your typical road race: a dash up the steps of the CN Tower. As it turns out, the fastest lady in the event is just 12 years old. 

Aysia Maurice landed herself as the first place female finisher at the World Wildlife Fund race. She competed among the race of 9,000 to run 12:53.4 to the top of the tower. Maurice, who is from Bolton, Ont. trains year round as part of a track club– 310 Running.

She says she has been running since grade two and returned to the event this year to see what she could do.

Thanks to Shaun Stephens-Whale, an extraordinary athlete. It was great to meet you, hope to see you back next year.# fast climber. pic.twitter.com/QtnrehJkU5

— DCM (@aysia360) April 11, 2017

“This year I just wanted to see if I could beat my time,” she says. “It was really fun last time. I thought it would be cool to do it again,” said Maurice. 

She says that she ran much of her wave of the race on her own and was focusing on conserving her energy and running strong. 

“When I finished, I checked my time and I was happy with it. Then my mom saw that I was the first female. It was pretty exciting,” she said. 

This speedy kid is no stranger to success though. She started running quite young but training with the club on the track, she has already developed a skill for track racing. 2017 is off to a good start: in February she set a provincial record for the indoor 2,000m when she ran 6:48.  

Thanks to @WWFCanada for hosting 310 Running at the #CNTowerClimb. Fun event! Great volunteers. @iamdavidmiller pic.twitter.com/01bZNhtr1z

— 310 Running (@310Running) April 9, 2017

“You feel free and don’t have to hold back,” says Maurice when describing why she loves running. “I like the feeling of accomplishment.” 

The young athlete will celebrate her 13th birthday in June and right now, she’s looking forward to spring school track meets. 

“School meets are always fun because you’re with your friends and you can meet people from other schools,” she says.