Competitors to ascend China's tallest building on foot

An international stair-climbing competition, which began at New York's Empire State Building in 1978, will tackle Shanghai Tower's 3,398 steps next month.

The International Vertical Marathon will see around 1,000 individual and group challengers from home and abroad attempt to ascend Shanghai Tower, the world's second tallest building, on foot on November 26.

The 632-meter-high, 127-story skyscraper is considered by many to be an iconic example of Shanghai architecture, and will join the ranks of other famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Taipei 101, which have also featured in the competition.

Contestants in the Shanghai event will be required to climb 119 stories.

Gu Jianping, general manager of Shanghai Tower, said they plan to develop the international competition into an annual Shanghai event, with some proceeds going to charity programs.

Winners of the event will share a prize pool of 80,000 yuan (US$12,050).

Individual and group contestants can apply for the competition through the official website or by phoning 2065-6806.