CRI听力:Australian runners win world vertical race in Shanghai

Vertical running, as one might expect, involves runners challenging inclines, rather than a flat surface.

This Sunday's event on the World Vertical Circuit has seen professionals, along with hundreds of amateurs, challenge themselves by running up the 52-flights which make up the 260-meter tall Shanghai International Finance Center.

Australian Mark Bourne took the men's race in a time of 7-minutes-42 seconds, narrowly edging out his closest competitor.

"It was very tight race, very close between me and Piotr who came the second place. We were right next to each other almost to the finish, just at the end I was able to move ahead a little bit."

Another Australian, Suzy Walsham, has taken the women's competition with a time of 9-minutes-15 seconds.

"It's a pretty nice race. We have a couple of times we were exited the stairwell and that breaks up the journey a little bit. But you know it's really tough and you have to stay focused the whole way."

The event at the Shanghai International Financial Center was also open to amateurs.

28-year-old Zhong Siqi competed in Sunday's event for just the 2nd time in a vertical running event.

"It is exhausting. I was already giddy by the time I reached the 20-somethingth floor. But you can't stop in between, you must persevere and keep going. Because once you stop, you will want to keep stalling. But you will make it if you persist."

The race in Shanghai is the 2nd last event on the 10-race circuit, which has seen the professional vertical runners tackle skyscrapers in London, Dubai, New York, Paris, Manila, Sydney and Beijing this year.

The final competition of the year on the circuit will also be held in China on December 4th, when runners will attempt to tackle the 82 floor, 484-meter tall International Commerce Centre in Hong Kong.

For CRI, this is Huang Shan.