Tower runner on the stairway to stardom – The Borneo Post
Tower runner on the stairway to stardom The Borneo Post
Soh runs up the staircase during a tower-run event.
I COME, I see, and I try to conquer.
That has been the motto of World’s No. 2 and Asia’s No. 1 tower runner Soh Wai Ching from Selayang, Selangor.
The 25-year-old, who will be World No. 1 when the next rankings are released next month, has set himself a bigger challenge – to make tower running sport an event for Sukma, the SEA Games, and the Commonwealth Games, or try to bring it to the 2028 or 2032 Olympics.
It’s not an easy mission but Soh believes so long as there is strong will, the possibility is always there.
“Who knows, tower running may one day be included as an Olympic sport and if I’m still actively involved, I hope to win a gold medal in the event for the country,” he said.
Soh was in Sibu to look at the venue for the Fourth Sibu Tower Run on March 8, starting at 6am at Wisma Sanyan, Sarawak’s tallest building.
Soh competes in one of the road events.
He did a practice run up the 627 steps of the 28-storey building in a record time of two minutes 58 seconds.
The Sibu Tower Run 2020 is jointly organised by the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) and the Methodist Pilley Institute (MPI) Alumni Association with support from Concept Event Agency.
The organisers are targeting 1,000 runners for the event, sanctioned by Malaysia Tower Running Association (MTA), a brainchild of Soh’s.
MTA serves as the national body for tower running, setting the rules and regulations, promoting the sport, and hoping to build a sizeable tower running community in the country.
Tower running is an extremely affordable and effective exercise for athletes – running up lofty man-made structures such as the internal stairways of skyscrapers.
It may not be for the faint-hearted but is certainly suitable for those seeking adventure, challenge, and excitement in the sports arena.
The runner who reaches the top of a skyscraper in the shortest time is the ultimate winner.
Promoting tower running
A University Malaysia Sports Science graduate, Soh may not be a household name yet since tower running is relatively new in the country, but he is working hard to build a name for the sport.
After the 2020 Sibu Tower Run, Soh will go to Paris for the Eiffel Tower Run on March 11.
Soh was in Sibu to promote the Sibu Tower Run 2020.
He said to popularise the sport, the first thing to do is to increase the runners base.
“We need to get as many athletes as possible to join the sport and also ensure each state has an MTA affiliate before tower running can be considered a national sport.
“We need more tower runners to compete internationally to push up Malaysia’s world ranking – now at No. 11 out of over 70 countries.”
China is the current World No. 1. The country has many tall buildings with over 100 tower runs each year.
“In Malaysia, I’m the only one fighting for ranking points. We need at least two men and two women participants to improve our ranking,” he noted.
Soh said MTA would organise the 2020 Malaysia Tower-running Tour, aimed at getting as many runners interested in the sport as possible.
There will be seven races in the programme.
Besides the Sibu Tower Run, considered one of the smallest, the others include the KL International Towerthon Challenge Run on April 5; the Malacca Hatten Vertical Run (Hatten Hotel) in May, the Penang Top Tower Run (Komtar Penang) on Sept 13, the KL Exchange 106 Run to the Sky on Oct 11, and the TM International Tower Run in November.
Soh will be meeting with more tower owners soon to finalise the dates of all the runs.
Motivation
He said it is important to constantly motivate yourself to get the drive and strength to accomplish the things you want to do.
“It’s always about finding the purpose, reason, and meaning for organising a tower running event.
“For me, especially in the last three years, it hasn’t been only about winning. What really matters is building up and elevating the sport to national and international status.”
Soh started taking part in tower running at the age of 18. Before that, he was a 5km and 10km marathon runner.
Soh on cloud nine after winning the Ostankino Tower Run in Russia.
His foray into tower running came about by chance. One day, his close friend, Jeffery Ross, a Scot, dared him to enter the 2017 KL Tower International Towerthon Challenge.
They made an interesting bet – the loser was to wear a pink skirt in a subsequent race. Soh didn’t have to – he won the bet.
The victory was a big morale boost that set him on the path to becoming a tower-running pro.
Since taking up the sport, he has competed in 50 international races – from the KL International Towerthon, to the Shanghai Vertical Run, New York Empire State Building Run-Up, to the Moscow Ostankino Tower Run.
He has won a whopping 18 world titles and many other accolades enroute to becoming one of the most sought-after tower runners in the world.
Soh said his most memorable competition was the Yayasan TM International Tower Run in Kuala Lumpur.
“I was the mastermind behind the race. I brought the idea up to Yayasan TM director and managed to convince the foundation to host the event at TM Tower.”
He also managed to get sponsorships amounting to RM35,000, saying it was a tough effort for any organiser as “getting sponsorships is always the hardest part”.
The event attracted some 1,300 runners, drawing a whoop of satisfaction – ‘it was great’ – on a job well done from a buoyant Soh.
Participants gather for a run.
Achievements
His achievements include being the first-ever Southeast Asian to compete in the 2018 Tower-running World Championship in Taipei, the fastest Malaysian in numerous major 10km races such as the Penang Bridge International Marathon (2015-2017), and a consistent podium finisher in 2018 – notably an overall second in the 2017 Standard Chartered KL Marathon 10km category.
In 2017, he finished eighth out of 146 runners in the Serial World Circuit (elite men’s category) in the Beijing Vertical Run (China’s World Summit Wing Hotel) and also took part in the Shanghai international Finance Centre and the Harukas Sky Run (Abeno Harukas).
He was the champion of the Turkish Airline KL Tower International Towerthon Challenge in 2018 and the recipient of the Best Malaysia Award.
He also conquered the 2019 Carrera Vertical El Ejido and came in second in the 42nd Empire State Building Run-Up.
His record remains unbeaten in both Malaysia and Asia.
Asked if he was motivated by breaking records, Soh said he always tried to improve on his performances as it made him a ‘better and mature person’.
“Pushing my boundaries motivates me to train hard and compete hard to move a step higher.
“I love tower running at the highest level. You really need to set goals – daily goals, monthly goals, even yearly goals.”
Super safe
According to Soh, the sport is ‘super safe’ as the runners only climb up and take the lift down.
“Running up the stairs has proven to be one of the safest sports. The distance between the feet and the step is small – so the impact is so much less compared to road running.
“You also burn a lot calories running up the stairs. In fact, even walking up the stairs step by step for 10 minutes is equivalent to 20 to 30 minutes’ walking in the park.
“However, running down is more dangerous as you need to learn how to land fast. It’s not really dangerous though if you walk down step by step.”
Soh said his biggest obstacle was getting funding for his races, adding that sponsors aren’t easy to come by.
“Being an athlete is not just about being good in sports. It’s also about commitment, social media marketing, and making a name for yourself.”
He pointed out that due to a lack of funding, most athletes, including him, had to look for affordable flights, accommodation, transportation, and other logistics on their own.
As he is currently self-managing his schedules, he also has to plan his training programme, analyse his performances, calculate his racing pace, and come up with a strategy.
He believes self-management is key to becoming a successful athlete.
Soh hopes to get the World No. 1 ranking and believes he will soon.
“However, a much bigger goal is to grow the sport and get it recognised in Malaysia. Perhaps, one day, we’ll to see all the office buildings and residential condos allowing their staff and occupants to use their stairs.”