After a long break, the legendary vertical race to the 31st floor of the highest business center in the Baltic countries took place in Vilnius on May 18. Hundreds of enthusiasts gathered to experience their endurance.

“After 11 years, our race enjoys the same popularity among the participants, as before. We feel very confident, especially since among the sponsors the sponsors of the competition is the Penki Kontinentai Group, which has supported this sporting event throughout its history. Many famous athletes took part in the race. According to them, the competition is no less difficult than a triathlon or even a marathon, because to reach the 31st floor, it is very important to calculate the strength correctly,” said Arvydas Avulis, Chairperson of the JSC Hanner that organized the competition.

The participants of the race had to climb stairs up to 116 meters, and the maximum time to cover the distance was 15 minutes. This distance from the starting line to the finish is much more than just 1010 steps. The vertical race is strength of mind, physical fitness and endurance. According to the organizers, the most important thing is not speed, but the conquest of new height!

Competitions were held in two categories: male and female. The 10 fastest participants from each group went to the super final and had to overcome the distance again. The winners are the athlete-orienteer Jonas Vytautas Gvildys (3 min 18.8 sec) and the triathlete Inga Paplauskė (3 min 46.5 sec). No one was able to break the records of previous years. In the men's category, the best time in 2007 is 2 min 55.6 sec, among women – 3 min 28.6 sec.

However, these competitions provide an opportunity to test their strength not only professional athletes, but also amateurs, as well as like-minded colleagues from different companies.

“It is gratifying that the tradition of a vertical race has been revived. And it is even more pleasant to be a part of this story,” said Germanas Kavalskis, Head of Corporate Communications at Penki Kontinentai, whose team has been among the winners repeatedly. This year, representatives of the Group also participated in the competition and coped well with the distance. The finish time of one of them is only 25 seconds different from the winner’s result.

The culmination of the event was the awards ceremony. All who overcame the distance were awarded with medals and memorable gifts. Only 358 of the nearly 500 registered participants crossed the finish line. The participants of the super final received cash prizes.

The history of the vertical race in Vilnius dates back to 2004, when the real estate company Hanner organized the first competition. The race to the 31st floor was held annually for 5 years in a row. This weekend the company held legendary competition in collaboration with Lietuvos bėgimo taurė. The race organizers intend to continue the good tradition and next year they will wait for everyone who leads an active lifestyle and cares about health on the 31st floor of the skyscraper.

Similar competition is held in 160 countries of the world. In addition to Vilnius, London, Paris, New York, Sydney and other megalopolises host the competition.

We offer to your attention the video from the last event.