Skyscraper running: Ten tips to become the best

Champion vertical runner Piotr Łobodziński is the fastest man to run up the Eiffel Tower’s 1,665 steps. This year he came to London for Vertical Rush – a stairwell race at Tower 42. He took first place, climbing the 42 floors and 932 steps in an incredible four minutes 29 seconds. So how do you become a vertical running champ? We cornered Piotr and other vertical running aficionados for their top tips.

Step 1: Warm up

Piotr’s flight from Poland landed just two hours before the race started in London. Although he may not recommend it, his dash from the landing strip to donning race kit was obviously the perfect warmup.

Step 2: Train your arms

Cristina Bonacina eyeballs her next handhold
© Ian Coreless

According to Piotr, the handrail should be used to help pull yourself up.

“Watch out though if you haven’t trained for this,” adds the International Skyrunning Federation medical director, Dr Sergio Giulio Roi, “Your arms will hurt more than your legs!”

Step 3: Choose a stairwell for your body size

Piotr is often found running in circles!
© Ian Coreless

“The staircase is not comfortable for me,” Piotr said of Tower 42. “I am 184 cm high and the railings are too low and the walls too wide.”

Step 4: Train in the mountains

Lenka Swabikova from the Czech Republic
© Ian Coreless

Fellow Vertical Rush winner Lenka Swabikova agrees with Piotr. The Czech athlete only trains on stairs during her competitions. The rest of the time she trains outdoors in the mountains.

Step 5: Expect to suffer

US competitor Madeleine Fontillas-Ronk has described the sport as: “Worse than a sprint. Worse than a marathon. And worse than giving birth!"

Step 6: Pace yourself

Start for elite women at China’s IFC Tower
© Sporting Republic

Dr Roi suggests that slow and steady wins the race: “It is possible to climb the building in a shorter time by maintaining a very steady heart rate and effort rather than starting at a pace that cannot be maintained throughout the entire race.”

Step 7: Run the circuit

The 2016 Vertical World Circuit
© International Skyrunning Federation

London’s Tower 42 is the first and smallest of the eight world events on the Vertical World Circuit. The last race is up Hong Kong’s 484m International Commerce Centre – a building 50% taller than the Shard in London. Competitors will be battling the lactic acid for three times longer than at Vertical Rush.

Step 8: Look at the floor numbers

If you are over-focused, you may hit the wall
© Ian Coreless

Piotr ran slower than in 2015. “The finish surprised me,” he laughed. “I thought I was only halfway because I had forgotten to look up and notice the floor numbers on the wall!”

Step 9: Finish exhausted

Remember this winning face to keep you going
© Sporting Republic

Give it all you've got in the final moments. “In the last three minutes you should accelerate until you almost reach your maximum heart rate,” said Dr Roi.

Step 10: Take the lift down

Piotr celebrates in front of Tower 42
© Ian Coreless

Piotr is no slacker and when we caught him in the lift he was on doctor’s orders. “Always take the lift down to avoid muscle soreness,” said Piotr.

Vertical Rush is an annual event organised by the housing support charity Shelter. Sign up for 2017 event info here, or find out more about international events by hitting up the Vertical World Circuit homepage.

Matt Maynard is a British journalist and ultra runner based in Santiago, Chile. For more of his adventures visit Matt-Maynard.com, and follow him on twitter @GreenBeanTrails

10 steps to becoming a skyscraper running champ