2,000 people participate in Sky Run at Lotte World Tower
Lotte P&D CEO Ryu Je-don speaks during Sky Run's opening ceremony held in Lotte World Tower in Seoul, on Saturday. Courtesy of Lotte P&D
By Kim Jae-heun
More than 2,000 people participated in the Sky Run marathon running up 2,917 steps to the observatory of the country's tallest building, Lotte World Tower, Lotte Property & Development (Lotte P&D) said on Sunday.
The company has been hosting Sky Run every spring since 2017, inviting a total of about 6,000 competitors. Not many joined the event during the COVID-19 pandemic. But participation reached an all-time high this year, after changes to the rules around the wearing of face masks.
People from all around the world including the United States, China, Japan and Taiwan, participated in the latest Sky Run on Saturday. The youngest runner was five years old and the oldest was 81.
“We hope the participants have a safe and enjoyable race as the goal of this competition is to create a meaningful experience regardless of gender,” Lotte P&D CEO Ryu Je-don said during the opening ceremony held at Lotte World Tower in Seoul on Saturday. “Lotte will continue to develop Sky Run as a proud signature sporting event of Lotte World Tower.”
Competitors and onlookers cheer at the start of their epic run up Lotte World Tower's stairs in Seoul, on Saturday. Courtesy of Lotte P&D
Groups of participants started at staggered times to avoid disorder. Smart chips attached to the participants' jerseys measured personal records.
Runner Kim Chang-hyun won first place in the men's race with a time of 19 minutes and 46 seconds. In the women's division, Jung Hye-ran topped the rankings with a time of 24 minutes and 28 seconds.
All the winners from third place to first received 1.23 million won ($923.4) worth of Lotte Department Store gift vouchers, a dinner voucher for fine-dining restaurant Signiel Seoul and Puma's sports equipment set, respectively.
Lotte P&D also held a Lotte family vertical marathon on Sunday, inviting executives and employees of Lotte Group and its 48 affiliates. A total of 2,000 people including workers and their family members as well as friends joined the event.
The retail giant plans to raise 10,000 won per competitor and donate the proceeds to Bobath Children's Hospital in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.