Taipei: More than 5,000 elite athletes and amateurs converged on Taiwan’s tallest skyscraper for the 2026 CTBC Taipei 101 Run Up on Saturday. The event attracted participants from 32 countries, with a total of 5,147 competitors taking part in the 19th edition of the competition, sanctioned by the Towerrunning World Association (TWA).
According to Focus Taiwan, due to exterior renovations at Taipei 101, the finish line was moved to the 88th floor this year, requiring participants to conquer a 2,046-step climb. Taipei 101 Chairperson Janet Chia, in a gesture of respect for firefighters, undertook the climb wearing a 7-kilogram firefighter suit. Chia, who completed the climb in over half an hour, thanked New Taipei City Fire Department Commissioner Chen Tsung-yueh for his support during the race. Twenty firefighters from Taipei and New Taipei, dressed in full gear, also participated.
The event featured appearances from notable figures such as Sports Minister Lee Yang, movie star Ivy Chen, and baseball star Nga
yaw Ake. The competition drew world-class tower running athletes, including Malaysian Soh Wai Ching and Croatian Tea Faber, both ranked No. 1 by TWA. Faber retained her title as the fastest woman with a time of 14 minutes 07 seconds, while Japanese athlete Roj Watanabe secured the men’s title with a time of 11 minutes 25 seconds, continuing his winning streak from 2025.
Local athletes also made a strong showing, with Lo Ching-chun, Taiwan’s only full-time tower runner, achieving a personal best of 11 minutes 46 seconds. Despite the challenges posed by the steep stairs of Taipei 101, Taiwan’s top-ranked female runner Chao Jui-chuan expressed her satisfaction, saying she felt good after the climb.
Participants were rewarded with exclusive medals and customized runner tags and were offered on-site sports massages and gait analysis. A portion of the registration fees from various participant categories will be donated to the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families, Good Neighbors, and the Taiwan Sport Forward Ass
ociation, as stated by Taipei 101.