Race to Shanghai IFC start. (c)Sporting Republic
Poland’s Piotr Lobodzinski and China’s Gan Xue won the seventh stage of the 2015 Vertical World Circuit at Shanghai’s Two International Finance Centre Tower Sunday, October 25. A record attendance of more than 1,400 runners lined up to tackle the 1,460 steps and 54 floors.
It wasn’t just a record attendance, but also a new course record set by 2014 VWC World Champion Piotr Lobodzinski slicing one critical second off the previous record to close in 7’54”.
Last year’s winner of the Race to Shanghai IFC, Australian Mark Bourne, took second place and Italian Emanuele Manzi was third.
Lobodzinski is on a winning streak this year, racking up five wins out of the circuit’s seven races held to date. He is mathematically the winner, although he will have to race at the finals in Hong Kong to take the crown. “I am very happy with my fifth win on the VWC this year. That means that I am the winner of circuit already before final race in HK. Today in Shanghai I have also made a new course record so my shape looks very good,” said Lobodzinski.
Piotr Lobodzinski takes his 4th win in the VWC at Shanghai. (c)Sporting Republic
The women’s podium was all Chinese with Gan Xue on the top rung closing in 10’10”. Fan Feng Juan and Zhang Hui Ji finished second and third in 10’28” and 10’44” respectively. 2014 VWC Champion, Australian Suzy Walsham, absent here today, has scored wins in four out of the five races and, like Lobodzinski, will compete in the Hong Kong grand finale to be crowned 2015 VWC Champion.
Race Director David Shin of Sporting Republic said: “We are extremely proud to once again bring the VWC to Shanghai,” he said. “It is exciting to be part of a race that focuses on the runner’s experience, especially those that come in from overseas.”
The Race to Shanghai IFC represented the second last race in the eight-race Vertical World Circuit which stretches across the world from America to the heart of Europe, Oceania and Asia.
2015 Vertical World Circuit grand finale will be held in Hong Kong on December 6 where the World Champions will be crowned at the SHKP Vertical Run for Charity – Race to Hong Kong ICC with a prize purse of 100,000 HKD at stake.
Race to Shanghai IFC winners. (c)Sporting Republic
Race results (provisional)
Men
1. Piotr Lobodzinski, (POL) – 7’54”
2. Mark Bourne(AUS) – 8 ‘22”
3. Emanuele Manzi, (ITA)- 8’30”
Women
1. Gan Xue (CHN) – 10’10”
2. Fan Feng Juan (CHN) – 10’28”
3. Zhang Hui Ji, (CHN) China 10’44”
VWC Ranking (provisional)
Men
1. Piotr Lobodzinski, (POL) – 400 points
2. Mark Bourne(AUS) – 276 points
3. Emanuele Manzi (ITA) – 234 points
4. David Robles Tapia (ESP) – 228 points
5. Norbert Lechner (AUT) – 192 points
Women
1. Suzy Walsham (AUS) – 400 points
2. Cristina Bonacina (ITA) – 296 points
3. Cindy Reid (AUS) – 278 points
4. Lenka Svabikova (CZE) – 272 points
5. Gan Xue (CHN) – 188 points
*The VWC world champion titles are awarded on the score of four out of eight races, with 20% extra points awarded at the final.
Race website
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