Slogans in the stairwell

Runners climb the DC Tower, WEGA abseils down

The DC Towerrun takes place for the first time on Saturday.

(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

The DC Tower in Vienna is the tallest office building in Austria. 7000 people work here. On Saturday, over 600 runners climb the tower on foot. On this run to the sky, 1450 steps, 58 floors, 200 meters of altitude and funny sayings in the stairwell await them.

Austria's stair running legend Rolf Majcen, who has conquered the stairs of 104 different buildings on five continents (Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Australia) in 158 competitions, will also be taking part. The passionate runner, who is a lawyer by profession, gives amateur runners the following tip: "If you start too fast, you will have a great split time on the 10th floor, but then your strength and speed will drop rapidly. By the time you reach the 29th floor, you're only halfway up. By then at the latest, the climb will be agonizing and the combination of lack of oxygen and pain in your legs will make everything even worse. So start slowly and sprint to the finish."

Rolf Majcen has already run on 104 buildings on five continents. Here he is in the stairwell of the Eiffel Tower.

(Bild: EPA)

"Karl, by the time you read this, I'll already be at the top"
Funny messages await all participants in the stairwell. The following sayings will be on display: "Karl, by the time you read this, I'll be at the top", "If you can read this, you're too slow", "You can't get lost", "I'd like to speak to the organizer" or "On Monday, I'm taking the lift". Incidentally, the lift in the DC Tower can travel eight meters per second.

Ten cameras in action
On Saturday, the amateur runners will start at 11 am, before the elite field of the Towerrunning World Association tackle the DC Tower at 4 pm. Spectators can follow the competition all day long thanks to ten cameras on LCD screens. The run will also be framed by a live fan TV and an expo zone. A highlight of the colorful supporting program, which also offers numerous delicacies for children, is the WEGA. Officers from the special police unit will abseil down from the 60th floor along the striking DC Tower façade at 3.30 pm.

Rolf Majcen prepares for the DC Towerrun at the Harzbergwarte near Bad Vöslau.

(Bild: Rolf Majcen)

Sunday at the Katrin mountain run, in June in the Rocky Mountains
Incidentally, Majcen sees the DC Towerrun as a warm-up for the Austrian Mountain Running Championships in Bad Ischl. On Sunday, he will start at the Katrin Mountain Run (4.4 km, 950 vertical meters). And on June 23, Majcen has a very special project. He will be running a 23.3-kilometre mountain run in the Rocky Mountains 70 kilometers west of Denver on the highest scenic road in America. The start is 3000 meters above sea level, the finish is at Mount Blue Sky at 4306 meters. In comparison, the DC Towerrun is harmless.