Beijing to stage its first vertical run

Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn

Beijing’s tallest building, China World Summit Wing, will host Beijing’s highest stair climbing race on Aug 3.

Runners at the China World Summit Wing Hotel Vertical Run will start at the tower’s ground floor lobby and ascend 82 floors to the helipad on the rooftop.

They will face the challenge of running up a total 2,057 steps to a height of 330 meters, where, assuming they can recover their breath, will see stunning views of Beijing’s skyline.

Beijing’s tallest vertical run has been selected as an official race for the 2013 Vertical World Circuit (VWC), the world’s first and only skyscraper racing circuit, uniting some of the world’s most iconic skyscraper races, including the Empire State Building Run-Up in New York City.

Runners who participate in VWC will be assigned points based on their results, with male and female competitors with the highest total scores at the end of the year being declared world champions.

Online registrations have started, with a participation fee of 80 RMB per person.

All money collected from registration fees will be donated to the Chinese Rural Kids Care charity and used for their program in support of children in rural areas.

The charity organization provides kids from poor families with health insurance and is managed by famous activist and opinion leader Deng Fei.

Stair climbing, first known as "vertical races" in the 1970s, is now a global sport with stair climbing clubs hailing from the US, Canada, Europe and Asia, as well as professional athletes who train year-round to be the first to reach the top of the world’s tallest buildings.

Although still a relatively new sport, stair climbing has quickly caught on with fitness enthusiasts attracted not only by the physical demands of this grueling sport but also by the novelty of competing in unique urban settings-the world’s tallest structures, some of the tallest of which are located here in Asia.

Official Event Website: www.verticalrun.cn

Vertical World Circuit: www.verticalrunning.org