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# The ascent of man
- URL: https://www.redeyebr.com/the-ascent-of-man/
- Published: 2026-07-10T00:34:46.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-10T00:34:46.000Z
- Description: At Uptown Climbing, the challenge of going vertical could also win you a sticker.
- Author: Mukul Verma

The summer sun will beat you down if you insist on running outdoors, and treadmills, even for the faithful, have a way of making exercise feel like punishment.

[Uptown Climbing](https://www.uptownclimbing.com/?ref=redeyebr.com) has a better idea: Go the mile, but make it vertical.

**The details:** Baton Rouge’s only climbing gym is turning the dead heat of July into a monthlong challenge that is part fitness test, part bragging right and part excuse to stay inside.

- In the month, climbers are challenged to climb 5,280 feet, up and down any of the walls at the gym.
- The challenge began as a fundraiser for Paradox Sports, which specializes in adaptive climbing for people with disabilities.
- In 2024, Uptown turned it into a personal challenge called the Midsummer Mile. Finishers get a one-of-a-kind sticker that is not for sale and cannot be earned any other way.

**By the numbers:** 

- 70, the oldest climber to complete the mile last year. The youngest was 11.
- 20 miles, the farthest climb, while a 63-year-old made it 10 miles.
- 3.5 hours, the fastest to a mile.
- 52, the number registered this year, with the total climbing. Follow their [progress here](https://www.uptownclimbing.com/climbamile-leader-board?ref=redeyebr.com).

**Bottom line:** In July, a mile in Baton Rouge is usually something to endure. At Uptown, it’s something to scale, and in air-conditioning. 

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