hats off to anyone that can do that at all. I couldnt do it for a million nt dollars !
how many floors do you actually climb?
91 floors.
Sure you could do it tommy, but one should definitely work up to such a thing.
A month ago I started climbing the 22F to my office a few days a week. It takes only 5 minutes, so I figured there’s no excuse not to.
Then yesterday for the first time I went up 22F, down by elevator, and back up 22F (just under 11 minutes, in slacks and dress shoes). Wow. Anyone who decides to do the 101 on a lark, without training for it, is in my opinion making a mistake. I’m sure many people could and may do that, but I think you’d be seriously hurting afterwards.
I agree with the point above about not starting out sprinting. It may be hard to know a reasonable pace, but one should definitely try to pace oneself. 91F is a LOT of stairs (over 2000) and very few people could run all the way up. Sure you’ll want to take them 2 at a time, but try to find a fast but sustainable pace early on, because I guarantee you’ll be huffing and puffing big time for the finally 20 or 30F (or more) and your legs and lungs will be burning.
Chiayo. See you guys there.
Man, I know I cant do it. I would need a week. Two weeks ago i was on one of those stupid ONE STEP boxes at the gym for only 100 steps and I limped for 2 weeks. 
Id have to go in for jungle training basically.
when I was 20 and the power went out on my 14th floor apt in Taipei, I already thought that was no fun.
But stair climbing really keeps you fit if you are fit.
But to imitate me, you would have to carry a 20kg sack of rice when you climb the 91 floors. How would THAT strike ya? (i really should lose 20kg, im at 98 when i want to be at 78kg).
Wow, under 11 minutes for 44 flights. Not bad. That’s a good goal for me. Hopefully I can get there soon and keep progressing.
tommy, try cutting out all drinks except for water, and see how much weight you lose. It certainly can’t hurt. That’s what I do to maintain my girlish figure.
I weigh right around 78kg right now, but I’m also pretty tall (193cm). I can’t imagine climbing 101 with an extra 20kg of body weight, but I’m sure it’s possible. People are allowed to take 1-2 hours to climb 101, I believe.
Don’t forget to fill out your application and send it in or deliver it by the Thursday deadline.
Really? Only 2000 steps? Man, I do that every single day up three times around my hill and don’t even sweat unless i carry the big dumbells or the kid on my back. Sounds like an easy one to me. The lack of air, though, and the godawful sweaty sock smell (that’s what I remember most about 101 – the incredibly awful body smell) that could slow a person down or even make him turn around and go for a beer in the (relatively cleaner air of Xinyi).
GROSS!!
There’s really nothing hard about it unless you are trying to race against the clock, or unless you’re out of shape, or both.
Speaking of being out of shape, before lunch I climbed 12 flights, took the elevator back down (while waiting quite a while for the elevator), and then climbed 12 more flights. I did that in just over 5 minutes, but I was really struggling towards the end of it. I’ve written down my time, so hopefully I can make some improvement over the next couple of weeks. I haven’t done much exercise lately, so hopefully this can inspire me to do more.
If I can, I’m going to try and do a little more this afternoon. I’ve set reminders on my computer to do this twice a day while I’m at work. That may be a little too ambitious, though.
I just need to learn to ignore the funny looks people give me as I ride the elevator while gasping for air. 
[quote=“Mother Theresa”]
I agree with the point above about not starting out sprinting. It may be hard to know a reasonable pace, but one should definitely try to pace oneself. 91F is a LOT of stairs (over 2000) and very few people could run all the way up. Sure you’ll want to take them 2 at a time, but try to find a fast but sustainable pace early on, because I guarantee you’ll be huffing and puffing big time for the finally 20 or 30F (or more) and your legs and lungs will be burning.[/quote]
I hit a bit of a wall with breathing at about the 70th and found the last 20 a bit of work. I was a smoker at the time though, so didn’t have the best cardio… 
I guess the cardio might be fine now that I’ve quit, but the legs might not… 
I also remember cramping up quite a bit a few hours after it, so stretch a lot before you start.
The stairs are actually quite small, so taking them two at a time is no problem for anyone of substantial height.
Good luck to everyone doing it!
Ok, I just want to be sure I don’t screw up the application process and get disqualified. Please correct me if you believe I’m mistaken.
If sending application by mail, it must be postmarked no later than tomorrow, May 13.
The instructions state that one must mail the following:
Registration Form / ID card or photocopy of passport / Individual Declaration with signature
I don’t know what they mean by registration form. I found the Individual Declaration online and I copied the front and back of my ARC card and stapled that to it. But I can’t find any registration form. Is there one? Where?
I believe if one applies by mail by tomorrow’s deadline, one also must include the NT$400 entry fee with the application, right?
The Individual Declaration doesn’t ask for t-shirt size. Does that mean one just prays on race-packet pickup day that they have your size?
Then they announce the final list about May 19-21.
If you didn’t pay the extra charge for the race packet to be mailed to you, you must pick it up in person at the Check-In, at CTRRA’s office on Fri, May 28 or Sat, May 29. Presumably that’s when the health check will take place too.
Then the race itself is on May 30 and self-challenge racers should arrive by 9:30 and it starts at 10:00 in 10 second intervals.
Thanks for your answers/comments.
I think the registration form was what you did online. All I mailed in (earlier today) was the declaration, some cash, and the copy of my ID like it asked for.
I put the T-shirt size on the online registration form a week or two ago. I think you can switch shirt sizes if you need to later on.
I paid the extra money for the package to be mailed to me. I think that place is a little too far from my home/office to make it worth a trip. First time I ever put coins in an envelope. I didn’t see any other way to pay other than stuffing the envelope with money.
Gotta go now, hope I answered your questions.
Thanks, you did.
Now that I think of it, I think I do recall giving my t-shirt size with the online registration.
I was going to have my package delivered by mail too, but I noticed today that one can pick it up on a Saturday, so I think I’ll do that just to be sure I get it in time.
Besides, doesn’t one have to go there in person on the 28th or 29th for the health check, or do they do that on the morning of the race?
On the main website is says:
[quote]On the competition date, racer will undergo a health checkup first, and then receive your qualified number. All racers must run in sequence according to the qualified number. Only the racers with the qualified number can enter the race course.
[/quote]
taipei-101.com.tw/runup2010/index-e.asp
You’re right, you can pick it up on a Saturday. I guess I didn’t notice that. Even so, I’m pretty sure they’ll get it mailed out in time. I’ll probably get it in the mail before they start allowing you to go pick it up.
I started training on Tuesday, and I’ve done pretty well so far. I can climb for 21 minutes straight right now, including time for the elevator to take me down stairs. I can probably last longer than that, but I haven’t tried it yet, and I hope to keep increasing my endurance. I’m shooting for finishing the 101 climb in under 25 minutes, if possible.
The main problem is I can’t really gauge how my building’s stairs compare to the 101 stairs. 20 of my building’s floors may only really be equivalent to 15 floors at 101. That’s why I’m just going to try and climb for long periods of time so it doesn’t matter so much.
I just received an email saying I have “completed the application procedure.”
I’ll be getting my package in the mail within the next week. It looks like they’re staggering the start times according to your bib number, which makes sense. Once I know what my bib number is, I’ll post my starting and gathering times here to see if anybody else has a similar start time as me. It’d be great to meet up before and/or after the run up.
Just got my race package in the mail.
I’m in this bib number group: (2201-2400)
So my medical checkup time is from 11:20-11:40 am
And my race time begins sometime on or after 12:00 noon.
If anyone else has those times or something similar, it’d be great to meet up.
I got mine sent to my PO box and can’t pick it up till Tuesday, but it should be there as I got the email notice too. I hope so anyway. I’ll let you know my number when I get it.
Went to 101 yesterday to check out the stairs. They are a little low: you may be doing 3 at a time in the beginning with your long legs. I expect I’ll be doing 2 at a time most of the way but may have to throw in some alternating singles towards the end. We’ll see.
Thanks for the scouting report, MT. It’s good to get some idea of how high the stairs are.
I’ve been pretty good about training lately, but I still have no idea how I’ll do on the actual day. I’m still shooting for 25 minutes, but I’m not going to kill myself trying to make that happen.
I am getting in better shape, though, which is encouraging. I’m not huffing and puffing nearly as much as I was a couple of weeks ago.
[quote=“scomargo”]I’m in this bib number group: (2201-2400)
So my medical checkup time is from 11:20-11:40 am
And my race time begins sometime on or after 12:00 noon.[/quote]
Bummer, the last group. Should be hot and smelly by then. Not that it’ll be much better for me. I’m in the group just before you. Check-in from 11:00-11:20 and start at 11:40.
I’ll probably see you there, though.
Good luck.
MT, I’ll see you as I pass you on the stairs. 
Seriously, I’m sure we’ll see each other sometime before or after. I think after the climb there is a bit of a wait for your certificate to be printed with your time on it, so I’ll probably see you while you’re waiting for yours to be printed. Plus, we’ll be relatively easy to spot.
Good luck, and I hope it’s an enjoyable day for you.
Good luck, you guys! :bravo: 
Hey scomargo and anyone else doing this event. I’ve got a stupid question for you. Are any of you planning to carry a cell phone up the stairs with you?
My wife and daughter will drop me off at the bottom and pick me up afterwards, so it would be very handy to have my iPhone with me. Plus, who knows, maybe I’ll want to take a picture at the top (I have no idea where exactly we end up). But I don’t want to have it flopping around in my pocket all the way up; nor do I want to carry it, as I don’t want to drop it and besides may need hands free for dragging myself up by the railing.
If it were a real sporting event of course I’d leave it behind. But just screwing around recreational climb . . . should I just carry it in my hand (or look at the sports store today for a thing to strap it to my arm)?