Tower running is a sport that involves running up tall structures. As one of the tallest buildings in the world, Taipei 101 has been a popular venue for the sport, and on Saturday, it held its latest tower running event after a six-year hiatus. Participants had to run up 91 floors with a total of 2,046 steps. That’s an elevation gain of 390 meters. More than 5,000 athletes from 34 countries took part in the race this year, and in the end, Malaysian tower-runner Soh Wai Ching emerged the winner with a time of 18 minutes and 36 seconds.

At the sound of the whistle, one athlete after the other, began their run up in one of the tallest buildings in the world, Taipei 101. After some time, a Malaysian runner was the first to arrive at the finish line on the 91st floor.

After crossing the finish line, he collapsed to the ground. Even though he has done tower running all over the world, he still had a tough time racing up Taipei 101.

Soh Wai Ching
Malaysian athlete
Taipei 101 is recognized as the most difficult tower in the world to run up. So I came prepared this year. But by two-thirds of the way into the race, I started to realize how difficult it was.

The event was held for the first time after a six-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic. Participants had to run up 91 floors with a total of 2,046 steps and an elevation gain of 390 meters. People who registered for the TWA elite group had to go through two heats. After running up 91 floors, they had to run up another 59 flights of stairs in the second heat. The winner would then be determined from the combined times of the two heats.

Lo Ching-chun
Taiwanese athlete
I beat my previous time by 18 seconds, and I nearly reached the goal that I set for myself. Well, I tried.

Chao Jui-chuan
Taiwanese athlete
Because in the TWA group, the top six in the world will get on the podium, so I hope to stand on it so that people can see the Taiwan flag flapping in the wind. I hope that I can perform well in the second heat.

This year’s competition attracted nearly 5,000 athletes from 34 countries. The winner could take home up to NT$108,000 in prize money.

The most senior local participant was 65-year-old Hsieh Chin-ho, chairman of Wealth Magazine. He showed everyone that no matter your age, Taipei 101 can be conquered by both young and old.

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