German man, Italian woman win 2011 Taipei 101 Run-up



Runner Thomas Dold, of Germany, gives a double thumbs up.



TAIPEI -- German Thomas Dold regained his title in the annual running race to the top of the Taipei 101 skyscraper Sunday in a time of 11 minutes and 19 seconds.

Dold, who won the race in 2008 and 2009, beat the defending champion Marco DeGasperi of Italy, who finished this year's climb up the Taipei landmark's 2,046 stairs in 11:31.

Chen Fu-tsai was the top finisher among Taiwanese competitors in a time of 12: 47, placing him sixth overall.

In the women's division, Italy's Valentina Belotti took the title in 13 minutes and 51 seconds, one second ahead of Antonella Confor, also of Italy and Eunice Nyawira Muchiri from Kenya was Third in a time of 14:30.

Lee Hsiao-yu of Taiwan, last year's runner-up, finished in ninth place this year with a time of 16:52.

African Paralympic gold medalist Henry Wanyoike, who is visually impaired, participated in the race for the first time and completed the run in a time of 16:19.

The oldest participant in the race, 94-year-old Peng Hung-nian, also made it to the finish line, reaching the summit in 53:38.

It was the seventh consecutive year the Taipei resident joined the race and he vowed to continue to participate until the age of 101.

A total of 6,000 people, the highest turnout ever, took part in the race, which culminated a series of events that raised NT$2.45 million (US$85,505) for visually impaired people in Taiwan, the organizers said.

The donation will go to the Taipei-based Parents' Association for the Visually Impaired, the Hsinchu-based Recording Books Service Center for the Blind, and visually impaired athlete Lin Shin-wei of Taiwan, who is preparing for the Paralympic Games, they said.

Race results

Men
1. Thomas Dold (GER) - 11'19"
2. Marco De Gasperi (ITA) - 11'31"
3. Fabio Ruga (ITA) - 11'59"
4. Jonathan Wyatt (NZL) - 12'18"
5. Clement Dumony (FRA) - 12'31"


Women
1. Valentina Belotti (ITA) - 13'51"
2. Antonella Confortola (ITA) - 13'52"
3. Eunice Nyawira (KEN) - 14'30"
4. Melissa Moon (NZL) - 14'54"
5. Cristina Bonacina (ITA) - 15'11"