Tower running
Encyclopedia
Tower running is a sport
, which involves running up tall man-made structures. Usually the races take place on the internal staircases of skyscraper
s, but the term can cover any foot race which involves a course that ascends a man-made structure.
Tower running races often take place at the world's tallest structures, including Taipei 101
(Taipei), Menara Tower
(Kuala Lumpur), Willis Tower (Chicago), CN Tower
(Toronto), Eureka Tower
(Melbourne), Swissotel
(Singapore), Tower 42
(London), the Empire State Building
(New York), the Bitexco Financial Tower (Ho Chi Minh City), and the Colpatria Tower (Colombia). Races are held in either time trial or mass-start format and attract elite athletes from various sport with often large sums of prize money.
The results of more than 160 races on all continents are evaluated each year for the Towerrunning World Cup. The most important - about 15 so called "Masters Races" - have a predefined factor of 1,5 til 4, whereas all other races are given 0,5 or 1 depending on class and internationality of the participants. 2010 World Cup winners were Melissa Moon (NZL) and Thomas Dold (GER). The World Cup Final 2011 will be hosted on December 8 in Bogota (COL).
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
, which involves running up tall man-made structures. Usually the races take place on the internal staircases of skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
s, but the term can cover any foot race which involves a course that ascends a man-made structure.
Tower running races often take place at the world's tallest structures, including Taipei 101
Taipei 101
Taipei 101 , formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, is a landmark skyscraper located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. The building ranked officially as the world's tallest from 2004 until the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010...
(Taipei), Menara Tower
Kuala Lumpur Tower
The Kuala Lumpur Tower is a tall tower located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Its construction was finished in 1995. It is used for communication purposes and features an antenna that reaches 421 m , which currently makes it the second tallest freestanding tower in the world. The roof of the pod is at...
(Kuala Lumpur), Willis Tower (Chicago), CN Tower
CN Tower
The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the Burj...
(Toronto), Eureka Tower
Eureka Tower
Eureka Tower is a skyscraper located in the Southbank precinct of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction began in August 2002 and the exterior completed on 1 June 2006. The plaza was finished in June 2006 and the building was officially opened on 11 October 2006...
(Melbourne), Swissotel
Swissôtel
Swissôtel Hotels and Resorts is a group of hotels pitched at the higher end of the hotel market. The chain currently includes 28 properties in 15 countries....
(Singapore), Tower 42
Tower 42
Tower 42 is the second tallest skyscraper in the City of London and the fifth tallest in London overall. The original name was the National Westminster Tower, having been built to house the National Westminster Bank's International Division. Seen from above, the tower closely resembles the NatWest...
(London), the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
(New York), the Bitexco Financial Tower (Ho Chi Minh City), and the Colpatria Tower (Colombia). Races are held in either time trial or mass-start format and attract elite athletes from various sport with often large sums of prize money.
The results of more than 160 races on all continents are evaluated each year for the Towerrunning World Cup. The most important - about 15 so called "Masters Races" - have a predefined factor of 1,5 til 4, whereas all other races are given 0,5 or 1 depending on class and internationality of the participants. 2010 World Cup winners were Melissa Moon (NZL) and Thomas Dold (GER). The World Cup Final 2011 will be hosted on December 8 in Bogota (COL).
Participants
Leading international stair runners include:- Men
- Paul CrakePaul CrakePaul Crake is an Australian professional racing cyclist. Prior to turning to road cycling in 2003, Crake was a successful mountain runner and stairclimbing champion...
(AUS), professional road cyclist. - Thomas DoldThomas DoldThomas Dold is a German track and field and extreme athlete and a tower runner, stair runner, world-record holding champion backwards runner....
(GER), world champion running backwards. - Troy de HaasTroy de HaasTroy de Haas is an Australian tower running, mountain running and orienteering competitor.He made sporting history in 1999 when he won a bronze medal in the long event at the Junior World Orienteering Championships in Varna, Bulgaria...
(AUS), international orienteer. - Marco de Gasperi (ITA), world champion mountain running.
- Matthias Jahn (GER), European x-country runner.
- Javier Santiago (MEX)
- Jorge Olivares Cabrera (MEX)
- Paul Crake
- Women:
- Andrea MayrAndrea MayrAndrea Mayr is a female long-distance runner from Austria. She also competes in mountain running and cycling. She set her personal best in the women's marathon on April 19, 2009, winning the Vienna City Marathon...
(AUT), mountain running champion. - Suzy Walsham (AUS), commonwealth game 1,500m finalist.
- Cindy Harris (USA).
- Andrea Mayr