Celebrities, Elite Tower Runners and Challenged Athletes to Participate in Iconic Race

NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Empire State Building announced the elite tower runners, challenged athletes and celebrities from around the world who will join lucky lottery winners to climb their way the 1,576 steps to the top of the The World's Most Famous Building on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021 for the Empire State Building Run-Up (ESBRU) Presented by Turkish Airlines and Powered by the Challenged Athletes Foundation. 

ESBRU 2021
ESBRU 2021

The men's elite heat for the 43rd annual running event will feature tower running legends like Wai Ching Soh (Malaysia), who came in second in 2019; Sproule Love (St. Louis, MO) who finished third in 2018 and sixth in 2019; and David Roeske (Loveland, CO), the fourth person ever to successfully climb Mount Everest. Notable contenders in the women's elite heat include Cindy Harris (Indianapolis, IN) – who came in second in the 2019 race – as well as Shari Klarfeld (Plainview, NY), Maria Elisa Lopez Pimentel (Mexico), Omar Bekkali (Belgium), and Fabio Ruga (Italy), all of whom finished in the top six back in 2019.

"To be able to return to New York and compete against the world's best athletes in such a unique challenge – in such an iconic location – is a great honor," said Wai Ching Soh, the Guinness World Record Holder for the greatest vertical height stair climbing in one hour. "I have no doubt the competition will be fierce this year, and I'm looking forward to once again be part of such a milestone challenge, and hopefully break my personal record."

New to the race this year will be performance sportswear brand On Running, with a designated heat of running enthusiasts and influencers from around the country eager to ascend New York's most iconic landmark.

Turkish Airlines, a leading global airline flying to more countries and international destinations than any other, returns for its third year as presenting sponsor of the 2021 Run-Up and will present both the top elite male and female runner with a complimentary flight. In addition to serving New York's JFK airport, Turkish Airlines launched its tenth U.S. gateway at Newark International Airport earlier this year on May 21, 2021.

"Turkish Airlines is honored to once again be a part of an exhilarating event that brings communities together from around the globe in an incredible race at the most iconic building in the world," said Turkish Airlines New York General Manager Cenk Ocal. "It comes with great pleasure to continue our commitment to sporting events and supporting organizations that champion dynamism and the competitive spirit, while also providing participants the opportunity to see the world with the chance to win tickets on Turkish Airlines to one of our 300-plus destinations around the world."

Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) returns as the official charity of the Run-Up as a world leader in helping people with physical challenges get involved and stay involved in sports by providing unparalleled sports opportunities, hope, education, and inspiring physically challenged individuals to live active lifestyles.

"We're excited to once again be part of an iconic event that brings together challenged athletes and our supporters to further our mission. We have an impressive and powerful group of challenged athletes and fundraisers who, with the help of the Empire State Building, will show the world what's possible when anyone with physical disabilities has the support needed to achieve their goals," said Doug Olson, Northeast Senior Development Director for CAF.

In addition to ON Running, Turkish Airlines and CAF race heats, participants will include media, celebrities such as Bachelorette Tayshia Adams and Celebrity Trainer Don Saladino, and lottery participants in other designated heats. Author and Venture Capitalist Tim Draper will specifically host a heat that will pit the West Coast against the East Coast, as Silicon Valley Ventures goes head-to-head against New York City Ventures to win a $100,000 donation to their respective charity. The Empire State Building's world-famous tower lights will shine in Turkish Airlines' colors – red and white – the evening of the race in celebration of the event.

More information about the Empire State Building and the Run-Up can be found online.

About Empire State Realty Trust 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESRT) owns, manages, operates, acquires and repositions office and retail properties in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area, including the Empire State Building, the "World's Most Famous Building." The company's office and retail portfolio covers 10.1 million rentable square feet, as of June 30, 2021, which consists of 9.4 million rentable square feet across 14 office properties, including nine in Manhattan, three in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and two in Westchester County, New York; as well as approximately 700,000 rentable square feet in the retail portfolio.  

Empire State Realty Trust is a leader in energy efficiency in the built environment and sustainability space, with 76 percent of the eligible portfolio ENERGY STAR certified and 100 percent fully powered by renewable wind electricity. As the first commercial real estate portfolio in the Americas to achieve the evidence-based, third-party verified WELL Health-Safety Rating for health and safety, ESRT additionally earned the highest possible GRESB 5 Star Rating and Green Star recognition for sustainability performance in real estate and was named a Fitwel Champion for healthy, high-performance buildings. To learn more about Empire State Realty Trust, visit esrtreit.com and follow ESRT on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. 

About the Empire State Building  

The Empire State Building, "The World's Most Famous Building," owned by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (ESRT: NYSE), soars 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan from base to antenna. The $165 million reimagination of the Empire State Building Observatory Experience creates an all-new experience with a dedicated guest entrance, an interactive museum with nine galleries, and a redesigned 102nd Floor Observatory with floor-to-ceiling windows. The journey to the world-famous 86th Floor Observatory, the only 360-degree, open-air observatory with views of New York and beyond, orients visitors for their entire New York City experience and covers everything from the building's iconic history to its current place in pop-culture.  Learn more at www.esbnyc.com.  2021 is the 90th anniversary year of the Building which officially opened on May 1, 1931. Declared "America's Favorite Building" by the American Institute of Architects, as well as the world's most popular travel destination by Uber and the #1 New York City attraction by Lonely Planet it welcomes more than 4 million annual visitors from around the world. 

Since 2011, the building has been fully powered by renewable wind electricity, and its many floors primarily house a diverse array of office tenants such as LinkedIn, Shutterstock, and Global Brands Group, as well as retail options like STATE Grill and Bar, Tacombi, and Starbucks. For more information and Observatory Experience tickets visit esbnyc.com or follow the building's Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Weibo, YouTube, or TikTok. 

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Federal securities laws. You can identify these statements by our use of words such as "assumes," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects" or the negative of these words or similar words or expressions that do not relate to historical matters. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements, because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond ESRT's control and could materially affect actual results, performance or achievements. Such factors and risks include, without limitation, the current public health crisis and economic disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic, a failure of conditions or performance regarding any event or transaction described above, regulatory changes, and other risks and uncertainties described from time to time in ESRT's and ESROP's filings with the SEC, including those set forth in each of ESRT's and ESROP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2021, under the heading "Risk Factors". Except as may be required by law, ESRT and ESROP do not undertake a duty to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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