UAE | Leisure
Vertical marathon tests limits of endurance
Some of them ran, others walked and a few were staggering by the end - but all of them were glad to have taken part in the Vertical Marathon up Emirates Towers' 52 storeys.
- By Daniel Bardsley, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:39 June 22, 2007
- About 130 people participated in the fifth Emirates Towers Vertical Marathon.
- Image Credit: Karl Jeffs/Gulf News
Dubai: Some of them ran, others walked and a few were staggering by the end - but all of them were glad to have taken part.
More than 130 energetic men, women and children entered the Vertical Marathon yesterday, which saw participants power their way up the 52 storeys of the Emirates Towers office building.
Money raised at the event - the fifth of its kind - would go to humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
The event kicked off shortly after 8am yesterday, with some taking part as individuals and others as part of a team. Participants had to contribute at least Dh500 in sponsorship.
The best time among women for the 1,334 stairs or the 265-metre run was clocked by Petra Jerejian, at 10 minutes and five seconds. The fastest man was Mark Gattysaunt, who took 10 minutes and 58 seconds.
Fitness fanatic Carina Rodd, 15, who is half Dutch and half English, took just 11 minutes and 11 seconds to complete the run - putting her in second place for the ladies' event - despite having done a 70km cycle ride earlier in the morning.
"It was quite tough because I had just come back from the ride. My legs were already a bit tired, but I was happy with my time," said Rodd, who raised Dh610.
Edgar Mujica, 19, from Venezuela, who took part in a team of three with two fellow students at Dubai American Academy, said he found the run to the top a struggle.
Mujica and his teammates together raised Dh1,600. "It was very difficult - it was very hard on your legs. It was rewarding when you reached the top though. It was worth the effort," he said.
Chrystel Kidwell, a spokeswoman for MSF, said the total money raised by the event was likely to top Dh70,000.
"I think in Dubai people like to be challenged and this event, in one of the most iconic buildings here, certainly was challenging," she said.
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