The race, with registrations now complete, is included in the Towerrunning World Association circuit
This Saturday marks the return of the 'Vertical Climb to Gran Hotel Bali', now in its 19th edition
With its 52 floors, 924 steps and 190 meters of vertical drop, the race has become an international benchmark
This coming Saturday, April 26, the 19th edition of the "Vertical Climb to Gran Hotel Bali" will be held, one of the classic events on the Towerrunning World Association's world circuit, which has already reached its maximum number of entries. The race was presented this morning at a press conference at City Hall, attended by the Councillor for Sports, Javier Jordá; the event director, Miquel Tortosa; and the director of Bali Hotel, Silvia Cortés.
This is the eighth consecutive time the event has been included in the international circuit calendar. With its 52 floors, 924 steps, and 190 meters of vertical drop, "stair climbing has become one of the world's benchmarks for the speciality," stated Jordá. This time, a total of 500 athletes will participate in the three categories: equipped firefighters, with more than 130 entries, Open, and Elite.
More than 30 athletes who are regular participants on the Towerrunning world circuit will participate in the Elite category, from countries such as Spain, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Canada, Mexico, Slovakia, Croatia, England, Poland, and Austria. Seven participants are in the top 10 of the world rankings, according to Miquel Tortosa, "and it's the same in the women's category." More than 3,000 euros in prize money has been awarded, along with a bonus for breaking the race records.
In the men's category, the best time is held by Christian Riedle, who stopped the clock at 4:20 in the 2018 edition. Meanwhile, in the women's category, the race record is held by Suzy Walsham, who recorded a time of 5:31 in the 2019 edition.
The Councillor for Sports stated that this is "a unique event in Spain" and "a race that is already well established in Benidorm," while director Miquel Tortosa specified that the race "continues to grow and break participation records."
For her part, Silvia Cortés said that it is "an honour to celebrate this event in the hotel, which brings us great times, promotes sports, and contributes to the city's international reputation."
The first race, the fully equipped firefighters' race, will begin at 10:00 a.m., and participants will start four at a time in 30-second intervals. The Open category will begin at 11:00 a.m., with the start in groups of four, every 30 seconds. The start for the Elite women's category will begin at 12:05 p.m., and the start for the Elite men's at 12:20 p.m. In these cases, athletes will start one at a time, with 30-second intervals. Information on the participants' schedules can be found at the link.