Out of breath after slogging up the final five flights to your apartment?
Try running up 91 floors -- 2,046 steps -- in just over 10 minutes, which is exactly what the men's winner of the 2005 Taipei 101 Run-Up did at the Taipei 101 skyscraper yesterday.
The event attracted 16 renowned skyscraper runners from around the world and 85 local challengers.
PHOTO: JEROME FAVRE, AP
Paul Crake from Australia -- the current record holder at the Empire State Building Run-Up in New York -- finished first in the men's group with a blistering time of 10:29:32.
Crake is also the only person to run up the 86 flights -- 1,576 steps -- of the Empire State Building in under 10 minutes.
Andrea Mayr from Austria -- the female record holder of the 2004-2005 Empire State Building Run-Up -- finished with a time of 12:38:85 to become the women's champion.
The two were awarded first-place prize money of US$5,900. Elite runners were also given US$2,950 for participating.
A total of 1,001 other runners took part in the "self-challenge" group.
It was the first time a race has been held inside Taipei 101 since it was opened to the public in November 2003.
Registration for the race was available via the Internet, and the 1,102 slots were filled in just 11 hours.
Taiwan's oldest marathon runner, 89-year-old Peng Hung-nian, also had a go, as did the nation's first blind marathon runner, Chang Wen-yen (
Adding a bit of levity to the event was Hsueh Ching-kuang, who ran all the way up the building backwards.
Taipei deputy mayors King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) and Yeh Chin-chuan (葉金川) also took part in the activity.
Taipei 101 president Lin Hung-ming (林鴻明) said that money collected from registration fees will be donated to the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee to assist Taiwanese athletes with their preparations for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS