'If you can make it here...' - runners race up Empire State building

Reuters
·1 min read

NEW YORK (Reuters) - While some New Yorkers are taking pains to avoid returning to the office, others are racing to the top of the Empire State Building.

The iconic New York landmark played host Thursday evening to the 44th annual Empire State Building Run-Up.

Starting at the bottom floor lobby, the contest featured runners racing up 86 floors, ascending 1,050 vertical feet (320 meters) before finishing on the 86th Floor Observatory.

The men saw a repeat champion in Malaysian tower runner, Soh Wai Ching, while Cindy Harris of Indianapolis was a repeat winner for the women's race.

"This really means a lot to me," Soh Wai Ching said. "This is my second win. I hope to maintain this win for five to ten times. That's my goal."

The race featured 374 runners.

(Reporting by Shannon Stapleton, Kia Johnson, Dan Fastenberg and Kyoko Gasha; editing by Diane Craft)