250 climb onward and upward

PANAMA'S first stair climb competition was held in Punta Pacifica on Sunday, July 25, when 250 runners raced up and down 664 steps (35 floors) and competed for $4,000 in prizes.

The event billed as  the “Vertical Run” kicked off at 7 am at the Torres de las Américas .First to complete the grueling test was Nicolas Garcia Jr, followed by Kenyan Shadrack Kipkosgei and Jontahan Cerrud.

Tarae Griffin was first in the women’s classification followed by Doris Mcnish and Marlene Navarro.
The juvenile categories, male and female were headed by Bladimir Vergara and Kimberli Rodríguez The seniors categories were won by Jorge Viera Jr. and Karina González; while Father Nicolás García and Nani Sevilla headed the masters.
Maybe some of the competitors can now set their eyes on a climb up one of the the tallest buildings in the world, the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada. The annual event draws some 12,000 participants, who climb 1,776 steps to raise funds for United Way.