World No.1 heading up PJ tower

The PJ Tower Run will be held for the second consecutive year on June 30 at Menara MBPJ.

Organised by the Malaysia Towerrunning Association and Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), the run is to commemorate MBPJ’s 18th anniversary.

It also aims to promote a healthy lifestyle and nurture new talents.

“This event is open to everyone and requires no special technique, just the determination to walk up the stairs of the whole tower,” said Petaling Jaya mayor Mohamad Zahri Samingon during a press conference at PJ Smart Centre in Petaling Jaya.

Also present were MBPJ Deputy Secretary (Management) Mohd Fauzi Maarop and MBPJ Planning Development Department director Lee Lih Shyan.

World No.1 tower runner Soh Wai Ching was also at the event.

Fresh from his victory at the Taipei 101 tower running competition, Soh said he hoped to set a new record.

“There are three rounds in the competition.

“By the final round, only 10 participants will remain.

“Each round gets more exhausting, making it difficult to break my 1.58-minute world record but I will do my best,” he said.

Malaysia Towerrunning Association co-founder and president Ravinder Singh said the women’s world record, held by Michele Tan Bee Kiang, stood at 2.58 minutes. She is currently ranked sixth worldwide.

The competition will feature Open and Veteran categories for men and women and will start at 7am with two knockout rounds.

There are 25 levels and 552 steps at Menara MBPJ.

The 10 fastest participants in the second round will compete for cash prizes, with RM1,000 for the Open category winners (men’s and women’s) and RM800 for the Veteran category winners.

An additional RM200 cash prize will be awarded to runners who set record time.

To register, scan the QR code displayed on banners around Menara MBPJ or go to https://v2.checkpointspot.asia/registration/mbpj-towerrun-2024