The Broadgate Tower Run Up took place on Saturday 24th November 2018 and proved to be an incredible day of stair climbing for over 300 runners of all ages and abilities.
The third anniversary of the event hosted the London leg and semi-final of the prestigious Vertical World Circuit (VWC), a nine-race calendar of premier skyscraper races.
It was a true festival of vertical running featuring multiple climb options, from the Single Climb of 35 floors through to a ¼ Vertical Mile triple climb and a thigh-burning Vertical Mile of 12 climbs, 420 floors and over 10,000 steps. The day saw individuals and families take on their own personal challenges whilst the world’s top stair climbing athletes showed what they are capable of in the Elite races. Every competitor showed commitment and determination as they took on the 877 steps of The Broadgate Tower and the atmosphere was superb from start to finish.
Highlights included the Firefighters Wave, which saw firefighters taking on multiple climbs in full firefighting kit and breathing apparatus for the Firefighter’s Charity. There were also children as young as eight taking part in the Family Climb, with big smiles on their faces as they made their way to the top, and a StepJockey corporate wave led by CEO Zarir Vakil, inspiring clients to bring their challenges out of the workplace and take part in a real-life stair climbing event.
There was no denying the talent in the Elite races, which saw elite stair climbing athletes from 17 countries race up central London’s Broadgate Tower. The men’s race was hard fought, with Spain’s Ignacio Cardona Torres claiming his first win on the VWC with a time of 00:04:02, just five seconds ahead of Briton Mark Howard, who crossed the line in 00:04:07. Japan’s Takaaki Koyama followed closely with a time of 00:04:14.
The women’s race was another thrilling battle, with top UK runner Sarah Frost – last year’s winner and The Broadgate Tower Run Up record holder – crossing the finish line just one second ahead of Spain’s Maria Beltran. Sarah beat her own record by four seconds with a time of 00:05:04, while Maria clocked 00:05:05. Japan claimed another third place with Yuko Tateishi closing the podium at 00:05:09.
RESULTS (provisional): The Broadgate Tower Run Up, 24th November 2018
Male:
- Ignacio Cardona Torres, 00:04:02
- Mark Howard, 00:04:07
- Takaaki Koyama, 00:04:14
Female:
- Sarah Frost, 00:05:04
- Maria Beltran, 00:05:05
- Yuko Tateishi, 00:05:09
All results of the Elite VWC, Vertical Mile, ¼ Mile, Single Climb and 5 Climb races are available here.
The Broadgate Tower Run Up is organised by the UK’s leading stair climbing specialist events company Total Motion Events in collaboration with Breathe Unity and UK Run Events. It is the only event of its kind in the UK, giving participants the opportunity to race for the charity of their choice or compete as a personal challenge alongside the world’s best tower runners. Each year the race sells out.
Matt Hudson, Managing Director of Total Motion Events, commented, “We are absolutely thrilled with the turnout and success of The Broadgate Tower Run Up 2018. It was a privilege to host the London leg of the VWC and we were honoured to welcome the very best stair climbing talent in the world to our series of races.
“I would like to congratulate all competitors, from the youngest children taking on the Family Climb through to the charity runners and the elite athletes, for their incredible efforts on the day. Tower running is a huge challenge even for the fittest of athletes, and we have the utmost respect for everyone completing multiple climbs of the tower. It was a truly inspirational day of achievement which we will remember for a long time. Many thanks to our sponsors and partners for helping to make the day the success it was.”
Go to totalmotionevents.co.uk/results/the-broadgate-tower-run-up-2018 for further details.
You can also follow Total Motion Events on Twitter @TotalMotionEvts #TMRunUp2018, Instagram @total_motion, LinkedIn and Facebook.com/TotalMotionEvents.
Images © Ben Lumley
