By Satya Rath/Doha
Many of us run up stairs almost every day in our daily lives. Sometimes for fun, sometimes out of compulsion (when the lift is not working, or there’s no lift in the office tower or the apartment building).
There are also those rare occasions when we are bitten by the fitness bug and use the stairway as part of a regime to lose weight, or indulge in casual competition with friends on who reaches a particular floor first.
But few people are aware that staircase running — or tower running as it is more commonly known — is quite a popular sport in many parts of the world, particularly in Australia, Europe and North America. Now, Qatar is set to join that elite league when it hosts the inaugural Towerrunning World Championship this weekend (March 27-28).
The event will be held at the Torch-Doha Hotel, which has been hosting the annual Torch Staircase Run for the past three years. “That’s the ideal venue to host this event,” says Sebastian Wurster, the young president of Towerrunning World Association (TWA). “It’s located inside the Aspire Zone where the facilities are excellent. The Torch also fulfils the conditions — it’s a tall hotel with some 1300 steps — and more importantly, it already has been hosting the annual Staircase Run.”
The 28-year-old German, a medical doctor by profession, was in Doha to check out on the venue and other facilities and says he is impressed by the Aspire Zone as also by the enthusiasm and support of the officials there. “The facilities here are world class, but more than that, it’s the support of the officials here that’s heartening. They really have a vision for sports and it shows in what they have been doing,” added Wurster. He hopes that tower running will soon pick up in this part of the world too. “It is catching up in many parts across the world, and our aim is to make it popular in the GCC region as well. For that to happen, we need to have more events in this part of the world. Public participation and awareness is important too, as it’ll lead to more number of competitions. I hope the ensuing World Championship will help us in doing that.”
The best part about the sport, Wurster says, is that anyone can go for it. “It hardly costs you anything, but can help you stay fit. At the most, you require a pair of running shoes. It helps build your muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance.”
There are conflicting theories on where tower running actually began. Some say it started in Europe and spread quickly, but it has actually attracted a bigger following across the Atlantic. The world’s top tower runners are pros and make a living running up the stairs.
The TWA, that governs the annual Towerrunning World Cup, incorporates nearly 200 races across the globe and has overseen a ranking system since 2009.
“The sport is more popular in North America, but European races are far more attractive for the elites, because of invitations, travel reimbursement, prize money and media attention,” says Wurster. “But it is picking up very fast across the world. From some 100 odd races in 2008 we now have more than 200, with some 11,000 competitors from all parts of the world and 53 countries hosting tower running events regularly. And the number keeps growing.”
According to him, the Torch Tower, with 1300 stairs, is neither too tough nor too easy. “It falls somewhere in the middle, it’s not too tall like we see in North America and in Asia, nor is it short like we see in Europe where there are not many tall buildings due to architectural restrictions. While the American and Australian runners like long races, of 1500 or more stairs, the Europeans prefer shorter ‘courses’, like say between 800 to 1000 steps. So at 1300 steps, the Torch falls somewhere in between, so I think it will be a fair race,” Wurster explained.
The organisers, in their bid to make the event popular and draw crowds, plan to hold an amateur race prior to the main race.
“It’s free for anyone above 18 years of age, but they must register their names prior to the event. There is no maximum age limit. We also plan to set up giant screens so as the public can watch the race live,” informs Phillip John Templar, Director Venues and Events at Aspire Zone.
Winners of the last year’s Torch Staircase Run during the podium ceremony.
