Wednesday, July 10, 2013

SHANGRI-LA AT CHINA WORLD SUMMIT WING IN BEIJING TO HOST CHINA'S FISRT VERTICAL RUN BY STAIR CLIMBERS!

KEE@FSWMAG.COM
YOU HAVE HEARD OF SOCIAL CLIMBERS WHO ASPIRE TO CLIMB HIGH IN THE PECKING ORDER.

Now there is a breed of vertical climbers who put this into physical action as they actually run up the steps in staircases!

It seems easy but is no child's play as you very well know if there is a power failure and your office is on the 5th or 15th or 75th floor!

CHINA WORLD SUMMIT WING, BEIJING
TO HOST CHINA’S FIRST INTERNATIONAL VERTICAL RUN

On 3 August 2013, the highest hotel in Beijing, Shangri-La’s China World Summit Wing, Beijing will host the first-ever vertical run in China accredited by the International Skyrunning Federation (ISF).  The 330-metre tower in China World Trade Centre (CWTC) has been officially chosen as the China leg of this prestigious worldwide sports competition.  World-class stair climbers,
as well as sportsmen, celebrities and the general public, will compete to reach the highest point in the tallest building in Beijing.

Beijing has been selected as an official race for the 2013 Vertical World Circuit (VWC), the world’s first and only skyscraper racing circuit, uniting some of the world’s most iconic skyscraper races, including the Empire State Building Run-Up in New York City.  Runners participating in the VWC will be assigned points based on their results.  The male and female competitors with the total highest scores will be declared world champions at the end of the year.

A group of elite runners from different countries will compete for a money prize, the highest being US$1,000.  The fastest male and female runners from the general public will be awarded trips to the United Kingdom to spend three nights in a suite at the soon-to-open Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London.  Each prize includes a round trip flight ticket from Beijing to London and a three-night complimentary stay with daily breakfast in the most anticipated new luxury hotel in Western Europe's tallest building.

Other valuable prizes will be given out to competitors in different categories by the sponsors of the Vertical Run.

The elite runners already confirmed to compete in China World Summit Wing Hotel Vertical Run include Australians Mark Bourne and Suzy Walsham.  Bourne won the prestigious Empire State Building Run-Up in New York City earlier this year and is the favourite to be crowned world champion at the end of the year.  Walsham is the reigning world champion and four-time winner of New York City’s Empire State Building Run-Up.  She currently sits atop the women’s world ranking.

Stair climbing, first known as “vertical races” in the 1970s, is now a global sport with stair climbing clubs hailing from the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia, as well as professional athletes who train year-round to be the first to reach the top of the world’s tallest buildings.  Although still a relatively new sport, stair climbing has quickly caught on among fitness enthusiasts attracted not only by the physical demands of this gruelling sport, but also by the novelty of competing in unique urban settings – the world’s tallest structures, some of which are located in Asia.  The trend has generated Vertical Fitness, a health and wellness project involving stair climbing to benefit a less active public.

According to race organisers,  China World Summit Wing Hotel Vertical Run may be the most challenging race on the VWC this year, taking into consideration the height of the tower and the number of steps.  The tower has 82 floors and 2,041 steps.  The fastest runners, however, are expected to reach the rooftop in less than ten minutes.  Other buildings conquered by runners in 2013 include the iconic Taipei 101 in Taiwan.

Shangri-La’s China World Summit Wing, Beijing is the perfect location for this prestigious sports event as it is the tallest building in China’s capital.  The rooftop of the building, where the race will finish, offers unparalleled bird’s eye views across the whole of Beijing, including the Forbidden City and other travel attractions.
                     
“We are proud to be bringing the Vertical World Circuit to China.  It’s a truly international event that will help China World Summit Wing, Beijing promote sports activities and a healthy lifestyle through an enticing and challenging competition,” said Thomas Schmitt-Glaeser, general manager of China World Summit Wing, Beijing. “We look forward to hosting more than a thousand participants from all over the world who have signed up for the challenge and will raise money for a good cause.  All proceeds from the run will be donated to Chinese Rural Kids Care (CRKC) charity headed by a Chinese reporter and opinion leader Mr. Dengfei.”

CRKC is a charity organisation qualified to fundraise publicly.  Its aim is to provide free medical insurance for children from poor families in rural China, creating an opportunity for these children to get medical subsidy and health care.  Registration for the Vertical Run is Rmb80, from which one year’s insurance for one child worth Rmb75 will be funded.  This means every runner will sponsor the health insurance of one child.

China World Summit Wing, Beijing is located on the top floors of the capital’s landmark and stands above the China World Trade Centre.  With unrivalled views over the city, the hotel soars 330 metres over the China World complex at the heart of Beijing’s Central business district.  China World Summit Wing, Beijing has 278 guestrooms and suites.
The hotel also features the city’s highest dining and entertainment venues, including six restaurants, two bars and a lounge.  For guest relaxation and recreation, the hotel features CHI, The Spa, Shangri-La’s signature spa brand on Level 77, Beijing’s highest spa retreat.

China World Trade Centre opened in 1990 and is one of the world’s largest upscale commercial mixed-use developments.  The complex includes hotels, offices, apartments, exhibition halls and a shopping mall.  

To learn more about China World Summit Wing Hotel Vertical Run, please visit www.verticalrun.cn.
Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts currently owns and/or manages 81 hotels under the Shangri-La brand with a room inventory of over 34,000.  Shangri-La hotels are five-star deluxe properties featuring extensive luxury facilities and services.  Shangri-La hotels are located in Australia, Canada, mainland China, Fiji, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore, Sultanate of Oman, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.  The group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects in mainland China, India, Mongolia, Philippines, Qatar, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.  For more information and reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com.
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Shangri-La’s China World Summit Wing, Beijing is the perfect location for  the 2013 Vertical World Circuit as it is the tallest building in China’s capital.


Thomas Dold, Elite athlete from Germany, winner of the Vertical Circuit 2012. He is registered to take part in the Vertical Run in Beijing 3 August 2013.


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