Runners taking part in the Harukas Skyrun Beyond virtual race up Japan’s tallest tower need to clock 1,500m vertical climb. ©Harukas Skyrun Beyond
With continuing cancellations right across the 2020 Vertical World Circuit®, the world’s premier skyscraper racing tour, the Harukas Skyrun in Osaka, Japan, scheduled for November 15, will go virtual.
The Harukas Skyrun Beyond invites skyscraper racers from Japan and around the world to virtually race Japan’s tallest tower, the 300m high Abeno Harukas – five times for a total 1,500m vertical climb!
It would have been the fifth edition of the race which has been on the Vertical World Circuit® since 2017 and represented the circuit final in 2019 where 1,500 runners from 20 countries participated. The records stand at 8’29” by Australian Mark Bourne and (2019) 10’14” by Japan’s Yuri Yoshizumi (2017).
Japan’s Yuri Yoshizumi, elite VWC athlete and record holder of the Harukas Skyrun. ©Harukas Skyrun
The 2020 race, like most sporting events, has been cancelled due to the Covid19 pandemic, but the organising committee want to keep runners motivated and connected through the Harukas Skyrun Beyond, a spin-off virtual running event to collect points using the STRAVA app. The period of participation is between Sunday, November 8 and Monday, November 23.
The aim of the Harukas Skyrun Beyond committee is to “go beyond space” by adding up the total altitude climb attained by all the participants during the period.
Entry is free and on completion of the 1,500m vertical climb challenge, runners earn a digital trophy and exclusive rewards.
Participants will include Japan’s top skyscraper racers, Ryoji Watanabe and Yuri Yoshizumi.
Ryoji Watanabe, ranked third in the 2019 Vertical World Circuit®, will participate in the Harukas Skyrun Beyond virtual race. ©Sporting Republic
How to enter:
1) Download Strava on your phone
2) Search for the ‘2020 Vertical World Circuit® Harukas Skyrun Beyond’ in the Challenges section
3) Go to the following link
4) If you complete more than 1,500m vertical climb during the challenge, save the record of your performance and post it on Strava
Full details
Event: 2020 VERTICAL WORLD CIRCUIT® “HARUKAS SKYRUN BEYOND”
Dates: 8 Nov 2020, Sunday – 23 Nov 2020, Monday (16 days)
Registration: 1 Nov 2020 – 7 Nov 2020
Entry Website: https://www.strava.com/challenges/harukasskyrunbeyond
Entry Fee: Free
Location: Wherever you can participate with the location service activated in the app
Stay tuned for the incredible “sky-high” figures that will be announced after the completion of the Harukas Skyrun Beyond vertical climb on November 23.