Singapore, 24th November 2013 - Athletes from Australia took the top podium spots at Sunday’s Swissôtel Vertical Marathon, led by race winners Suzy Walsham and Mark Bourne. 2,160 athletes took part, climbing the 1,366 steps from the ground floor to the hotel’s helipad on the 73rd floor.
Walsham, 40, who lives in Singapore, scored her eighth victory at this race, overwhelming her nearest challenger in the women’s open field by almost 90 seconds. Her time of 7 minutes 58 seconds was just shy of her course record of 7:51 set last year.
“Any win is a good win, but I have a real soft spot for this event as it was my first stair climbing race back in 2006, so it’s one that I always want to do and win,” Walsham said. “It means a lot to me and to have eight in a row is a nice record to have.”
Vanja Cnops from Belgium took second in 9:26 and Lenka Svabikova from the Czech Republic, took third in 9:43.
In the male open division, Mark Bourne, 30, climbed to victory, finishing in 6 minutes 51 seconds, beating 39 year-old compatriot Darren Wilson by 14 seconds. Winning the event is Bourne’s third outright victory on this year’s Vertical World Circuit, earning him 100 points on the men’s ranking.
The 30 year-old from Canberra, started in his usual conservative pace and then worked his way through the field.
“The race for me went well. It was good to come out on top and I wasn’t sure how I’d go as I raced last week but it’s good to know that I recovered well,” Bourne said. “I felt really good from the start and I’m just in quite good form at the moment which makes it much easier.”
Piotr Lobodzinski from Poland, got third in 7:06.
As winners of the event, Walsham and Bourne will receive a VWC prize of round-trip airfare to the final in Hong Kong on December 1st, together with tickets and entry to the Empire State Building Run-Up awarded by the organisers.
Race Results:
Men’s Overall
1st: Mark Bourne – Australia: 6 minutes 51 seconds
2nd: Darren Wilson - Australia: 7 minutes 5 seconds
3rd: Piotr Lobodzinksi - Poland: 7 minutes 6 seconds
Women’s Overall
1st: Suzy Walsham – Australia - 7 minutes 57 seconds
2nd: Vanja Cnops - Belgium – 9 minutes 26 seconds
3rd: Lenka Svabikovan – Czech Republic – 9 minutes 43 seconds
Seven races stretch across the globe from New York, to the heart of Europe and on to the Far East in Taipei, Beijing, Hanoi and Singapore, concluding in Hong Kong on December the first with the Race to ICC-100 – SHKP Vertical Run for the Chest where the 2013 VWC champions will be crowned.
High altitude, whether in the mountains or the city, is the playground of the International Skyrunning Federation (ISF), which governs, promotes and sanctions skyrunning (high altitude mountain running) and skyscraper racing worldwide.
Official Event Website: http://www.swissotelverticalmarathon.com
Vertical World Circuit: www.verticalrunning.org
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