The slightly longer ride to the Canton Tower stair race in China was worth it. 17 hours took the journey to the Towerrunning Finals in Asia.

A fairly extensive Towerrun in which I had to portion my power very well. After 17:37 Min and 2589 steps, I crossed the finish line last Friday and was satisfied with my performance. This was the longest Towerrun for all international runners. A well-organized race by Towerrunning China – in his first major edition. Guangzhou definitely has with its many skyscrapers one of the most impressive skylines in the world. After 3 days and a variety of interesting experiences and encounters I went back home.

This trip reminded me again of the 3 rules of life: Paradox, Humor and Change. 🙂

1. Paradox: Life is a mystery; don’t waste your time trying to figure it out.
2. Humor: Keep a sense of humor, especially about yourself. It is a strength beyond all measure
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3. Change: Know that nothing ever stays the same.

The Asian & Oceanian Towerrunning Championships will lead me in early January to GuangZhou (China). There I am invited to participate in the 600-meter-high Canton Towerrun. After a necessary two-week break, I have to bring myself in a short period of time to peak performance – allen Gewalten zum Trutz sich erhalten (Goethe).

The Canton Tower is currently the 4th tallest free-standing structure in the world and was until 2011 the tallest TV tower in the world. It is about 3 times higher than the local Stuttgart TV Tower! This will be my longest Towerrun so far. In addition to the 112 floors / 2589 steps some friends will awaite me on-site. There is no spoon!                   

Everyone, who cares about the peace in Europe should go there. Book recommendation: Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker – The threatened peace

With over 90% humidity and 30 degrees celcius, it was a very tropical stair climbing climate  this Sunday at the Vertical Marathon in Singapore. Before us lay 73 stories to conquer. Despite a good preparation, I haven’t been in top form today and I had to come to terms with a more moderate time of 8:34 minutes. After the first 20 levels already, I was forced to let pass many competitors I decided to go for it until the end (of the race) regardless of my physical inertia. As ninth I arrived on the observation deck of the tallest hotel of Southeast Asia. A magnificent view awaited me on the top, which one does not have every day! Between 6.30 and 12.30 over 2200 runners started.  Setbacks are setups for comebacks.

Next Sunday some top athletes from different countries will gather in the Lion City Singapore to run the Swissotel Vertical Marathon. For the very first  time I will be participating there, well prepared,  racing up the 73 stories as quickly as possible. Until 1986, the Swissotel was the tallest hotel in the world. Singapore is island and city state and because of its size the smallest state in Southeast Asia. Currently, 5.4 million people live there.

103 floors later … Meanwhile, for the 4th time I had the opportunity to go to the starting line at this race. Today, I have successfully beaten my best time by exactly 1:38 min.! to 14:49 min. Thus I positioned myself in 5th place, very close behind 3rd and 4th place. 2600 runners climbed the Willis Tower this year. The local staircase is one of the steepest in the world with a low railing. Not to forget to mention at this event is Mark’s Pre-Race Dinner on Saturday and the common after-race breakfast, where I met old friends and new interesting friendships could be developed. Very pleased and grateful I went on my way home. A falling tree makes more noise than a forest that grows.