Doha, Qatar
15 March 2017

Sixth Aspire Torch Staircase Run (ATSR), organised by Aspire Zone Foundation, will start on Saturday, March 18, from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the iconic Torch Hotel with over 250 sports enthusiasts competing to be the first ones to reach the top.

This year’s route of the Aspire Torch Staircase Run will be the ultimate challenge of endurance, as runners will have to make their way to the top of the 300m tower to the 51st floor, climbing more than 1300 steps.

Those who finish the race in the shortest time will receive valuable cash prizes.

The competition has been a major draw in Qatar, with over 250 participants registered so far, including last year’s Veteran Male champion, Ewan Cameron.

Registration for this year’s race is open for participants 16 years of age and older and will feature several categories for both male and female participants in different age groups.

The first categories to compete will be the Junior Male and Junior Female (16 to 17 years old), followed by the Veteran Male and Veteran Female (40 years old and above), followed by the Open Waiter/Waitress category for the hotel’s wait staff, and finally the Open Male and Open Female (18 to 39 years old) categories.

Competitors must be at the Torch Hotel before 11:00 to register and receive their number before joining peers in warm-up sessions under the supervision of Aspire Zone’s coaches. The race will kick off at 12:00 pm at the designated racecourse, and time will be calculated using an electronic chip that will be attached on the contestant’s foot.

To guarantee safety and fairness, contestants are required to leave space for each other when competing and are not allowed to run in groups to avoid clashes. If any contestant requires medical assistance or wants to forfeit the race, they can approach the medical staff and counsellors that will be placed at five level intervals on the course.

Aspire Zone Foundation has also set up a resting zone after the finish line so contestants can recharge and enjoy some refreshments.

There will also be a fan zone at the starting line, so friends and family members can attend and support their champions.

The fan zone will be fully equipped with a number of fun activities, a warm-up zone and a fun zone for children.

Previous editions of the run generated unprecedented success on par with international tower-running competitions, including the Empire State Building Run-Up in New York, USA, and Berlin Sky Tower in Germany.

Over the past two editions, ATSR attracted more than 600 participants from both local and expat communities alongside other tower runners from all over the world.

In 2015, ATSR was awarded an official Grand Prix status as one of the top international tower running competitions.

Interested community members can visit www.lifeinaspire.qa to register and find out more information about taking part in the run.