She’s 64 and climbs 40 storeys in under 7 minutes: Veteran tower runners and the community they inspire

SINGAPORE: For 64-year-old Yim Pui Fun, chasing her passion means pounding the stairs, storey by storey, week after week.

As she climbs, her pace begins to falter, her breathing grows harder, her steps more laborious. But taking the lift is not an option.

This time, she reaches the top of a 39-storey HDB block in 6 minutes and 34 seconds. 

“Crazy” and “maniac” are just some of the words her friends have used to describe her.

An avid runner since her pre-university days, Ms Yim was looking for a new adventure when she chanced upon tower running - a sport that involves running up tall man-made structures - and took part in the Kuala Lumpur Towerthon in 2001. “I have been hooked since then,” Ms Yim tells CNA. 

In the following decades, she took part in countless races.

She has the medals to show for it. Packed neatly in plastic bags, her numerous medals bear testament to her twin passions for road running and tower running, filling two glass cases in her living room.

In another room, trophies from her podium finishes fill up a large part of a table. 

And she is not alone. 

75-year-old Jimmy Lim’s foray into tower running began during a chat with his friends in 2004.

“We were talking about vertical marathons and they said it’s not easy. Then I wanted to give it a try,” Mr Lim says. 

It sparked an enduring passion, as he sought opportunities to race locally and overseas. 

Both train at least twice a week. 

But what of the belief that running up stairs is bad for the joints, especially for the elderly? 

Ms Yim believes that stair climbing strengthens muscles and bones, and reduces the risk of falling. 

“So far, my knees and my hips are very fine,” she says.

WHAT TOWER RUNNING TRAINING SESSIONS ARE LIKE 

Every Saturday morning, a quiet stairwell at one of Singapore’s many high-rise buildings becomes a gathering point for a group of tower runners young and old. The group, called Tower Running Association of Singapore, was formed by enthusiasts in 2020.

Every month, the location changes. To the uninitiated, staircases may look and feel the same. However, for tower runners, staircases are never the same. 

It is not just the environment, though it does break the monotony. The direction the staircases turn, the height of the steps and the position of the railings vary across buildings. These make a difference for tower runners who make a sport of stair-climbing.

At every training, the runners begin with a run all the way to the top. 

This time, they’re at The Pinnacle @ Duxton, Singapore’s tallest public residential building - a 50-storey climb.

The group continues with intervals of eight to 13 storeys, to the 49th storey. Each runner goes at their own pace, with the younger runners dashing ahead. 

The gap between each runner grows larger. Soon, the faster runners reach their rest point, some struggling to catch their breath as they slump against the wall or sit on the floor. Others stay at the stairwells, waiting and cheering the veterans on.

“Although I am the slowest in the group, I always tell them: ‘Don’t wait for me’,” Mr Lim says. 

“But they say: ‘No worries, we will wait for you.’”

‘I CAN SEE MYSELF BEING LIKE HER IN 50 YEARS’

While Ms Yim and Mr Lim still compete frequently, their focus is on fitness and being a part of the tower running community. To them, training with a group provides motivation and support. 

For the younger runners, their presence is nothing short of inspiring. 

“I was trying to stay behind them because I wanted to make sure that they wouldn't fall,” 32-year-old Mark Chua says. He adds that he quickly realised that they were stronger than him and have at least 15 years more experience than him in the sport. 

“When I see Fun at the practice, she's always so spry and kind of energetic,” says 24-year-old Stella Hadiwidjaja, who began tower running a year ago. 

“I can see myself being like her in 50 years.”