Earlier today, I joined the Kerry Sports Manila Vertical Run 2018 with EastWest Bank which was held at Shangri La at the Fort. This was basically a stair-racing event that started at the second floor of Shangri La at the Fort with the finish line at the penthouse. In this race, we had to conquer 59 floors with 1353 steps to a height of 250 meters.

Participants are released in small groups in three-minute intervals to avoid crowding in the stairs. My wave started at 10:42am. Compared to this year, the "route" is longer since participants would have to transfer to a different staircase by passing through one of the floors in the hotel. Same experience as last year, I was already out of breath by the time that I reached the 10th floor. My heart rate was shooting up and I already felt tired, but I continued going up the stairs without stopping. I only took quick sips at the hydration stations and tried to move on as quickly as I can. Eventually, I reached the last five floors and I started speeding up again. And finally, the finish line.

The view from the top was so rewarding and the feeling of accomplishment upon finishing the race was so worth the effort and the exhaustion. Even with the longer route, I was so happy that I managed to break my time from last year by four seconds.

Overall, it was a fun and challenging event - very much different from the races that I am used to. As sporting events go, this one is a very well-organized event from start to finish. This was my second year joining the Vertical Run and I would definitely join again next year.