History

When were stairs known for the first time ? This instrument for the safe overcoming of differences in height was already known and used in prehistoric times. A few years ago in a salt mine in Hallstatt/Austria a wooden staircase was found which could be dated by scientists unequivocally to 1344 BC. Our ancestors however had neither the time nor the leisure to engage in sports and the stairs built in the earlier civilizations probably were used mostly for ceremonial reasons and belonged to the outdoor category. In the interior of buildings the first stairs were necessary in the villas of Rome which often had two storeys. In the following centuries the buildings grew further into the air - but due to constructional limitations in dimensions, which would have been of little charm for sporty stair climbers .

When were the first skyscrapers built ? There is a nice (not for the directly related parties) legend connected with the advent of towers and skyscrapers. It says that in Chicago on 8 October 1871 in the barn of a certain Mrs. O'Leary a cow knocked over a lamp. Fanned by the winds the resulting fire spread quickly and destroyed almost 20,000 buildings within two days. This accident was certainly the reason for a major reconstruction program whereby as a result of rising land prices it was much more economical to build in the height. Newly adopted administrative rules created impetus for the development of innovative techniques (lift equipment, fireproofed materials, ...) and the "skyscraper" was born. The first completed building with more than 10 floors was the Home Insurance Building in 1885 . Starting from Chicago this new type of buildings then quickly spread in the whole world, especially in New York.. There in 1894 the Manhattan Life Building with 106 meters first surpassed the 100-meter mark.

When were the first stair races ? There are indications that it was at the Eiffel Tower in Paris built for the 1989 World Exhibition which about the year 1905 was the first venue of a stair run, but this is not clearly justifiable by historical sources. It is for sure that in the 1950s on the lower part of the Europatreppe in Partenen (Montafon - Austria) there was a timed run for local athletes. There may have been other events somewhere but none left a lasting impression. The modern era of the stair run and organized Towerrunning begins in 1978 with the first staging of the now legendary Empire State Building Run Up and a climb up the CN Tower in Toronto.

Which are the most traditional events ? In addition to the two classics on American soil (ESB Run Up and CN Tower Climb with 32 editions til 2009 ) there are many more races, which have established themselves and have been held for more than ten times. The oldest European race is the Kyburglauf in Switzerland which was held 2009 for the 28th time. In Asia the Swissotel Vertical Marathon in Singapore looks back on the longest history. The race with the longest history in Germany is the Perlachturm run in Augsburg , a sprint race and the first one in a historical building. A list of other traditional races can be found in the statistics section.

How did stairclimbing conquer the world ? In addition to the major events in New York and Toronto each year over 100 other Towerrunning Events in North America are held . A regional accumulation of high-class racing is to determine primarily in Chicago. In the wake of enthusiasm about the success of European runners at the races in North America now a varied repertoire of different races is well established in Europe too. There Germany stands out with an unusually wide range. Here are the world's most "stair sprints" - races with up to 300 steps. But even with the other extreme you are best served in Germany - the longest race in the world is the Mount Everest Treppenmarathon in Radebeul. Together with the Swiss Niesenlauf and the Treppencup in the Austrian Partenen this race is one of the world's most famous outdoor staircase runs. And many cities in Central Europa are now firmly in the hands of stairclimbers too. Thus, for example, Frankfurt, Berlin, Vienna, Basel, Milan and London have annual events with more than local importance. A strong Towerrunning scene is developing in Eastern Europe, especially in Poland where there is a great tradition. And the Run Up Series in the Czech Republic in 2008 was the first multi-race series ever. In Asia the focus is primarily on metropolitan races in the Far East and the Gulf States. High-class events are staged here every year in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai and Taipei. The Taipei 101 Run Up on the until recently tallest building in the world is held since 2005. The highest towers in the southern hemisphere are climbed too like in Auckland and Sydney. There is also great potential in South and Central America, where driven by media interest in addition to a regular event at the Torre Mayor in Mexico City for the coming years also races in Brazil, Chile and Peru are planned. A completely white spot on the staircase map unfortunately is still the African continent.

How many races are there around the world ? In 2009 139 race were presented at towerrunning.com. Overall one may assume that regularly over 200 Towerrunning events are held worldwide where ten thousands of runners take this unique sporting challenge. And the boom is growing ! A list of all races known to us can be found at the "all races-page".

Who are the world´s best climbers ? Given the global spread of the sport this question arises naturally - it simply is the nature of the athlete. In many other sports there are world championships and title fights, so this question would be easy to answer. Also at Towerrunning there have been a few attempts in the past, mostly with dubious sporting value. Even today it is difficult because of local interests and the lack of representation of all the top runners in the individual events to clearly answer this question. In this circumstance the 2009 inaugural Tower Running World Cup has substantially changed something: By comparing the performances at all events throughout a year for the first time a reliable list of the most powerful runners can be created. In addition to the rankings in the World Cup section under the menu we have compiled a list of runners who set marks in the sport during last ten years.

World Cup

How was the World Cup Ranking created ? The idea for the World Cup rankings came from the pen of the German medical student Sebastian Wurster who now works as a sports director for Towerrunning. In the creation of this system, his enthusiasm for exceptional and creative arts and his interest for statistics of any kind mixed with the fact that through online research no satisfactory clarifications to find the world's best runners were possible. In 2007 there were the first immature approaches towards a ranking system. The project then continued in 2008 in the form of an internal test season without ranking release. Early 2009 coworking with the site operator and Towerrnning-President Michael Reichetzeder started. Since the beginning of the ranking publishing after the ESB Run-Up 2009 the organizers received a lot of feedback, consent letters but also optimization proposals. So the rules could be further refined and now reflect an objective picture of the best runners acknowledged by the scene. Motivated by the media interest and positive response to our first World Cup season the project was expanded and in the 2010 season prize money waits for the top athletes.

What is the basic idea behind the ranking ? While all other existing stairing series will try to determine an overall winner based on a few races it is the central principle of the Tower Running World Cup to take into account the overall performance of the best runners in the world. The main objective of this system is the greatest possible objectivity and thereby the sportive legitimacy of the winners. With this high demand the organizers were inevitably confronted with the fact that the best athletes compete against each other relatively rare as on every continent attractive racing series and top events await them. The rules set up by Sebastian Wurster try to deal with this fact by evaluating principally all races ( Towerrunning known / reported) worldwide but to define a frame of 14 spectacular races with high-class and international participant fields which have a higher weight and thus form the core of the system. To determine the rankings the top 30 men and women receive a point score for each race, which is provided with a factor reflecting the quality and internationality of the race. In addition there are some bonus point systems taking into account staircase series or other specialities offered by many events (Full Climb, Half Climb , Ultimate Climb, ...). Additionally a nations ranking and extensive World Cup statistics are other innovative features developed for the system.

How can you participate in the World Cup? Is a separate application required ? To participate in the Towerrunning World Cup no separate registration is required. Every runner who ends up among the first 30 places in the overall standings of his/her gender in a race is automatically provided with a scoring and registered in the statistics of the sports department. Only for the distribution of prizes and the awarding of trophies and medals for the top runners in the series at the end of the season a contact with the Sports Directorate of Tower running is necessary.

When and how do I learn the current results ? The top 70 of the current ranking will be published weekly in the World Cup section of towerrunning.com. Mid-season and at the end of the season a list of all runners with more than 30 points will be published . In addition after each month a World Cup statistics will be presented, which shows some interesting facts about the current season. Some data can also be seen on the online presence of Runner´s World.

Whom should I contact if I have questions or complaints about my score ? The Sports Directorate is always happy to answer questions. You can contact us at the email address worldcup@towerrunning.com. We assure you timely processing of your request. Nevertheless we kindly ask you to have a look at the rules before you contact us - there are some slight changes compared with last season. You can also use the contact address for criticism, praise and suggestions for optimization of the system - we are very grateful for any feedback.

How can I get involved as an organizer in the implementation of the project ? Besides the possibility of optimization proposals there are other ways to contribute to the success of the system. Race directors are required to report their race long before the event to the organizers, so we can announce it on the preview page. But our main issue is that we kindly ask for the publication of adequate result lists which clearly show gender, time, name and nationality. Otherwise it may happen that a race has to be taken out by the Sports Directorate which is not good for the quality of the rankings. If organizers (or runners) are interested in actively participating in this project the organizers would be glad about a short mail.

Is there price money at the Tower Running World Cup ? In the 2010 season of the Towerrunning World Cup cash prizes will be introduced. The exact prize keys can be found in the World Cup section. Other prizes await athletes in many individual events and series (such as Run2Sky Europe) whose results are incorporated again in the World Cup ranking.

Towerrunning.com

How was towerrunning.com born ? The story begins in 1997. Then the founder Michael Reichetzeder motivated by one of his brothers for the first time participated at the Donauturm Treppenlauf in Vienna which was an already popular event . The interest in this most effective way to overcome altitude was so aroused but at this time in the just expanding Internet there was almost nothing to find about . So hestarted collecting information for himself - first as a gimmick on his private homepage. When responses come from runners and organizers finally in April 2001 the domain "towerrunning.com " came into life which has evolved over the years as the world's most comprehensive source of data on stair races.

What services for runners are offered at Towerrunning ? The heart of the platform is the World Cup system, a comprehensive table showing current results and future events. Information on registration deadlines and specifics of each race can be of assistance in planning your race season. Numerous reports and statistics invite you to an informative website-walk, where you might run into unknown races and interesting facts about the world of stairing. Many new services (newsletter, gallery, etc.) are planned to be installed over the next months to enrich our site. You will be surprised then.

How can I promote my race at Towerrunning ? Race organizers can provide free information about their events on towerrunning.com. Therefore we just need a link to the event site, building information (name, number of stairs/ floors), the registration deadline and of course the date of the race. Feel free to feed us with additional information, pictures and background reports. On our side we´re looking forward for timely results lists including the information described before to provided a quick and easy recognition of the race for the World Cup rankings. If you would like more information or have an interest in further cooperation please contact office@towerrunning.com.

What services does Towerrunning provide for media ? In addition to the general information like (World Cup rankings, previews, results, statistics, etc we have other contents on our "media"-page . Over the coming months there will be photo galleries, text blocks, short articles and information graphics which can serve as a basis for your reporting about Towerrunning. If you have requests for interviews regarding the Towerrunning World Cup please contact worldcup@towerrunning.com. We will be happy to answer questions.