Rondo 1 Run Up starts this Saturday, 21 May!
The 10th edition of the Rondo 1 Run Up will be held on Saturday, 21 May. The competition will host the Towerrunning European Championships. One of the most famous and titled towerrunners in the world, Piotr Łobodziński, has withdrawn from this year’s edition. Who can win this year? Meet our strong field of runners!
Poland’s contenders for a medal in the female category
We have high hopes for the performance of Polish women in the event. Anna Ficner has never been off the podium in the Rondo 1 Run Up, and in 2016 she won the European Championship in this competition. Ficner, a police officer in Wrocław, seems an obvious candidate for a medal.
The injury of her husband, Piotr Łobodziński, will probably be just an additional incentive for Iwona Wicha, who placed second in the European Championship in the competition at Rondo 1 six years ago. She claims that her physical condition is uncertain, but we can be sure that she will do her best during the run.
The biggest rivals of the Polish women include Kamila Chomaničová (Slovakia), Verena Schmitz (Germany) and Piret Põldsaar (Estonia).
Will Riedl repeat his success of six years ago?
As Piotr Łobodziński is not in attendance, the leader in the men’s competition seems to be the German athlete Christian Riedl, who quite unexpectedly defeated Łobodziński in the 2016 European Championships, also at Rondo 1. For several seasons, the German runner has been the only contestant from Europe to come close to toppling Łobodziński. Now he has the chance to repeat his success of six years ago.
An improving field of experienced competitors from across our southern border, including Tomáš Čelko and Štefan Štefina (both from Slovakia), and Tomáš Maceček and Pavel Holec (both from Czechia), are considered strong enough rivals to topple him. Fabio Ruga from Italy and Jakob Mayer from Austria will also fight to come out on top. Polish fans will keep their fingers crossed for, among others, Mateusz Marunowski and Kacper Mrowiec, who are able to shift the dynamics of the competition, and maybe even try to win a medal.
Guest start by world ranking leader
The Rondo 1 Run Up will also feature the new star of world towerrunning, Soh Wai Ching. The Malaysian athlete has gone undefeated in his last 19 towerrunning starts, which includes winning the iconic Empire State Building Run-Up. He also currently holds the top spot in the Towerrunning World Association rankings.
“Soh Wai Ching is an interesting, fresh figure on the towerrunning scene,” said Piotr Jakóbik, spokesman of the Rondo 1 Run Up. “He will not be classified in the European Championships, but we are pleased that in the Rondo 1 Run Up we will see an athlete poised to become the successor of Piotr Łobodziński as the world’s towerrunning leader.”
The 10th edition of the Rondo 1 Run Up starts at 10 am on Saturday, 21 May, with the amateur run. The competition for European Championship medals is scheduled for 1:15 pm. Athletes have to climb the 38 floors of the Rondo 1 office building in Warsaw twice. The final classification will be determined by the combined time of each athlete.
