1445 runners participated in a vertical charity run in Shanghai's International Financial Centre. Created by Hong Kong-based Sun Hung Kai Property in 2012, Vertical Running for Charity is a yearly event taking place in some of the tallest buildings in Asia, Europe, and the US. The Vertical Run for Charity sponsors 100% of all income from donations and tickets for participation to a chosen charity. This year the donations went to Shanghai Children Health Foundation. SCHF is a Chinese NGO supporting low-income families with financial support for health care. A major part of this year's donations will be spent on supporting families with hospitalized children who are unable to fund their medical expenses. NYU Shanghai Career Development Center's Shimeng (Linda) Mai was originally signed up for the event as the only participant from the school but had to cancel at the last moment. 18 NYU Shanghai students did, however, volunteer to wake up at 6 AM on a Sunday morning to create a good experience for the many runners. Following the run, the company managing the event told Patty Xu, Manager of Student Involvement, that the NYU Shanghai students were some of the best student volunteers they had had before. Not just in Shanghai, but also compared to previous events in other Asian nations. Today's event started with the Elite runners taking off at 9 AM. The official results are not published until 48 hours after the event, but rumors at the event were that the record, set last year, was beaten. In just 7'55" Australian Mark Bourne, who is currently ranked number 4 in the world, managed to climb the 57 floors or 1460 steps. Suzy Walsham, also an Australian, holds the Shanghai IFC record for women. She managed to climb the 254 meters in 9'20". The Shanghai IFC charity run was this year's semi-final. The finale takes place on December 6th at Hong Kong's 82-story tall International Finance Centre next to Victoria Habour. This article was written by Andreas M. Strandgaard. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: SHKP Vertical Run for Charity