2010 Taipei 101 Run Up

"Tough times don't last but tough people do." - A.C. GreenMr.
There are a lot of things I wish I could do better, or simply can’t do like swimming, skiing, ice skating, surfing, snorkeling, scuba-diving, etc. No words can describe my envy for those who can do all these exciting and nerve-challenging sports and how much I admire them. Now I have to add one more in my admiring list, marathon and climbathon running. These runners impress me with their passion, strength and persistence.

On May 30th I went to Taipei 101 not for shopping, but to help with 2010 Taipei 101 Run Up. I got up before dawn so that I could arrive by six a.m. and join the other T/Ms volunteers for the briefing. There were forty of us from the non-profit organization ‘Toastmasters International District 67.’ The T/Ms volunteer team was very well organized. Thank Victoria, District 67 Public Relations, for successfully coordinating such a big event. It turned out to be a wonderful gathering of forty T/Ms from different T/M Clubs in Taipei.

The climbathon held by Taipei 101 first started in 2005 with 1008 runners (maybe not a exact but definitely a close number.) This year there were around 2008 runners. I was told that the number of runners was limited, to the most qualified participants.
There were several reasons for me to join the volunteer group. For one, I had been thinking of witnessing how the program proceeded and how it was look like; the other reason for me to finally take action was because of Mr. Rory Vaden’s visit to Taipei again and participation in the climbathon.


Rory was the 1st Runner up of Toastmasters 2007 World Champion of Public Speaking, and was the keynote speaker for Toastmaster International District 67 Spring Convention that Dr. Yap and I co-hosted in 2008. Because of the special event, I had the privilege of receiving him for the whole time during his stay in Taiwan. He’s a disciplined and goal-oriented young man. His achievement and inspiring speeches are a reflection of his "walking the talk". On top of all this, he’s amiable, friendly, humorous, tall and unbelievably handsome that captures everyone’s attention the moment he makes his presence. He expressed his plan and goal to climb 10 of the world’s tallest buildings and his desire to come back to climb Taipei 101 at his 2nd visit. So, when I found out the exact date and told him about 2010 Taipei 101 Run Up, he took action and made it happen. As a professional speaker, he also took the opportunity to present workshops for T/Ms in Taiwan. Different from the last time, he brought his bride Amanda along; tall, slim and charming. They made such a compatible and handsome couple I must say.

The climbathon actually started at 8:00 a.m. with the world level runners in the first group. There were ten or eleven of them. I was stationed on the ground floor at the record receiving area next to the START point. I saw how every second was important to these runners. They were all thin and medium tall. I guess height has nothing to do with the speed, or even may be a disadvantage. The male runner from Italy won the championship. There were only two female runners in this team, Mellissa from New Zealand, and one runner from Taiwan. I took a moment to take a photo with Mellissa and the male runner with the registration No. 007 of this group from Taiwan, how excited I was! Pity that I couldn’t gear up my courage to ask for a photo together with the champion as he stayed all the time with his team and was busy in chatting and moving around. I helped some runners take pictures. Their excitement and happiness moved me.

For those who cared for the speed and performance, the time they used mattered a lot. For others who did for self-challenge and participation were just happy when they finished the running. The champion Marco De Gasperi from Italy took only 11 min. and 9 sec.

Can you guess what interested me most during the whole six hours standing there at the record receiving counter? It was all the runners’ legs. They were so different in shapes and sizes; strong legs vs skinny legs; long legs vs short legs; muscle legs vs thin legs; tanned legs vs pale legs; hairy legs vs hairless legs; straight legs vs curved legs; well built legs vs plain legs. I enjoy watching especially those fit and beautiful legs most. Sorry, couldn’t help it because almost all the runners wore shorts. I had a great time checking out all the different legs.

Mr. Rory and his bride were among the late runners. The activity was about over when they came down to receive their record certificate. We were happy to see each other and chatted a while at the Starbucks inside the building.

What an experience! I don’t know if I will be there for the Taipei 101 "Run Up" next year, as a volunteer or a cheer leader. The six hours of standing is quite a challenge for a goldie. Let me conclude my reflection on this event with “Congratulations to all the runners on your success in finishing running 2046 stairs!”

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." – Confucius

Trini
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