NEWCASTLE paralympian gold medallist and marathon king Kurt Fearnley has crawled to the top of Sydney Tower in 20 minutes faster than most able-bodied people can do it.
The 28-year-old bolted up the fire stairs, two at a time, yesterday morning with his chocolate Labrador Alby.
Fearnley was born with lumbosacral agenesis which means his legs aren't strong enough to carry his weight.
"I grew up crawling and I'm still crawling," Fearnley said after he reached the public viewing platform.
The record time for the annual Sydney Tower Run-up is six minutes and 52 seconds but most people with a good fitness level need 25 minutes, Sydney Tower general manager Jade Hayes said.
"And he didn't seem to be particularly tired when he got to the top," Ms Hayes said.
Fearnley, a three-time paralympian with three gold medals, clocked a time of 20 minutes and 10 seconds with a peak heart rate of 190 beats a minute.
"I consider myself an able-bodied person so I think I'm right on the money," he said.
Fearnley ascended about 1300 steps.
Yesterday's feat was a prelude to his attempts to defend his Chicago and New York marathon titles on October 11 and November 1.
Fearnley has won seven marathons in a row, most recently in Sydney last month.
He will tackle the Kokoda Trail in November. AAP
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