Skyscraper vertical run hits Bitexco Financial Tower

October 26, 2011 | 16:33

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On October 30 the first ever vertical run in Vietnam will be held at the Bitexco Financial Tower. Some 500 participants have registered to conquer the highest skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City.

Participants will climb up a total of 1,002 steps to a height of 178 metres leading to the tower’s observation desk on the 49th floor, where they will be rewarded with spectacular views of Ho Chi Minh City’s skyline and the Saigon River.

Vietnam’s first vertical run has been selected as a trial race for the 2011 Vertical World Circuit (VWC), where the top runners will be vying for a total cash prize of $5,000 and gain crucial points to be declared the world champion at the end of the year.

The inaugural event will feature a mix of 2/3 locals, and 1/3 of tourists and expatriates from 24 countries around the world, hailing from as far away as the United Kingdom and Canada.
Amongst the elite athletes, reigning male and female vertical world champions Thomas Dold of Germany and Melissa Moon of New Zealand will be in Vietnam for the first time in a bid to defend their world titles. Dold has won 27 straight stair races, including the Empire State Building Run-Up, which he has won six times. Moon, also a two time world mountain running champion, won the famed race in New York City last year on her first try.

“We are proud of having the world’s best stair runners participating at the inaugural Bitexco Vertical Run. This is a special occasion that marks the building having just been completed and inaugurated a year ago in October 2010,” said Brad Gee, property director of the Bitexco Financial Tower.