2012 VWC World Champions Suzy Walsham & Thomas Dold
More than 2,000 runners together with some of the world’s top skyscraper racers will line up for Sunday’s Swissötel Vertical Marathon in South East Asia’s tallest hotel building, 226 metres high for the Vertical World Circuit semi-final.
The battle will not just be among the elite competing for points in the sixth stage of the seven-race Vertical World Circuit, but for the 2,000 plus runners, the battle lies in reaching the summit via the 1,366 steps.
Reigning Vertical World Champions, Thomas Dold from Germany and local resident Suzy Walsham from Australia head the elite runners. Australians feature strongly in the world ranking and on race day will include Mark Bourne, currently leading the VWC ranking, winner of New York’s Empire State Building Run-Up and the Taipei 101, together with Darren Wilson, last year’s winner here in a mere 7’13”.
Australian Darren Wilson, 2102 Singapore Vertical Marathon winner
Second-ranked man from Poland is Piotr Lobodzinki who will add to the strong competition together with Belgian Omar Bekkali, ranked third.
Suzy Walsham leads the women’s field unchallenged with the 2013 VWC title already in her pocket after four straight wins in New York, Basel, Beijing and Hanoi. Suzy took her 7th victory here last year and set the current record of 7’51”.
The winners will receive a VWC prize of round-trip airfare to the final in Hong Kong on December 1st, together with tickets and entry to the Empire State Building Run-Up awarded by the organisers.
Seven races stretch across the globe in the Vertical World Circuit – from New York, to the heart of Europe and on to the Far East in Taipei, Beijing, Hanoi and Singapore, concluding in Hong Kong on December the first with the Race to ICC-100 – SHKP Vertical Run for the Chest where the 2013 VWC champions will be crowned.
High altitude, whether in the mountains or the city, is the playground of the International Skyrunning Federation (ISF), which governs, promotes and sanctions skyrunning (high altitude mountain running) and skyscraper racing worldwide.
Follow news and updates on the official website and facebook
VWC website: www.verticalrunning.org
Race website: www.swissotelverticalmarathon.com