Sep 24, 2015 Runners from around the world recently converged in China to compete in a race to get to the top of Beijing’s tallest building. The race, which saw the runners scaling 82 floors, was part of a series of races around the globe.
Separated into “elite” and amateur runners, participants had to run up a total of 2,041 steps to reach the top of the building which stands at 330 meters.
Australian Suzie Walshom, the first female elite runners to break through the finish line, said;
“I’ve been running stairs for about nine years now, almost nine years so it’s just something different, I was a track runner and looking for new challenges, and I love the challenge, they’re really tough races no matter where you are, this is a particularly hard one because it’s a very high building but you just have to try and stay focused and I try and concerntrate on my, just keeping my rhythm and just sort of counting numbers and not looking at how many floors I have to go,”
Fellow Australian runner up for the men’s category, Mark Bourne, said the race was a test of willpower.
“Yeah, it’s a very difficult task coming all the way up the stairs and it’s a pretty hot day today, a bit hotter than back home so, yeah I’m happy to finish out here on top of the building it’s a great view,”
Zhang Caiguo, a fitness instructor who ran in the amateur category, said:
“I think that as this generation changes, young people are getting more and more interested in activities where there’s a challenge, so I believe that in the near future there will be even more competitors taking part in these types of stair marathons,”
The Beijing event was one of three events taking place in China, with a total of eight events around the world.