After ascending 116 floors, 547.6 meters and 3,201 stair steps, Liu Qinhua (male) and Chen Liqin (female) continued to prove that they are the best Chinese vertical marathon runners as they conquered the Ping An Finance Center (PAFC) at the 2021 PAFC International Vertical Marathon Masters on Saturday afternoon.

Liu Qinhua and Chen Liqin receive the awards. Photos by Sun Yuchen 

They clocked in at 19 minutes and 57 seconds, and 24 minutes and 26 seconds respectively, winning the men’s and women’s race in the professional group for a second year in a row to earn gold medals and a cash prize of 18,000 yuan (US$2,819) each.

Liu was also the only runner who finished the race under 20 minutes Saturday. He won last year’s championship with a time of 19 minutes and 40 seconds. According to the organizer, the event’s record-holder is German runner Christian Riedl, who completed the race with a time of 19 minutes and 28 seconds at the first edition of PAFC International Vertical Marathon Masters in 2018.

Liu Qinhua, winner of the men’s race at the 2021 PAFC International Vertical Marathon Masters, crosses the finish line after ascending Ping An Finance Center with a time of 19 minutes and 57 seconds.

Following Liu, Ye Chaoyang ascended the tower nine seconds behind him at 20 minutes 6 seconds and Shi Aiai won bronze with 20 minutes and 27 seconds.

In the women’s group, Huang Fei was the second to climb to the top with a time of 24 minutes and 56 seconds, and Zhou Qinglan came in third at 25 minutes and 58 seconds.

Ping An Finance Center is now Shenzhen’s tallest building, China’s second tallest and the world’s fourth tallest.

Although 17 seconds slower than last year, Liu said he was excited to compete, and his efforts had paid off. “To get prepared for this event, I trained myself two to three times a week for almost four weeks by running, cycling and climbing steps in parks. I’m very happy to get back again and get together and compete with old friends,” Liu told Shenzhen Daily.

The 30-year-old said that if it was not for Saturday’s hot weather, he might have delivered a better performance, adding that he was confident to challenge the record time of 19 minutes and 28 seconds.

A native of Hunan Province, the runner didn’t miss the event for four consecutive years since 2018.

Chen told Shenzhen Daily that she was happy with the results and surprised to have successfully defended her title, given that her foot got injured before the event. “I stayed in bed for a whole week due to the foot injury. I was quite nervous, so I practiced more than usual to get prepared — three times per week and for one week before the race,” Chen said.

Chen comes from Guangzhou and is a half-time professional marathon runner. She told Shenzhen Daily that she competes in vertical marathons frequently in Guangzhou and Shenzhen whenever she can. In Guangzhou, she climbed Canton Tower and the Guangzhou CTF Finance Center.

A mother of an 8-year-old girl, Chen said that she wants to set an example for her daughter and teach her about persistence and willpower.

A charity project called “Ping An Care Action” was launched Saturday as part of the event which encouraged all racers to show love and support to children with autism. “Ping An Care Action” project will donate funds to support the growth and employment of autistic children on behalf of every runner who completed all 116 floors.

The event was certified by the Towerrunning World Association and the Asia-Oceanian Vertical Marathon Association.

According to the organizer, 300 or so people participated in this year’s race.