The Competition of Running Up the Long Staircase of the JR Kyoto Station Building (JR京都駅ビル大階段駆け上がり大会)
The competition of running up the long staircase of the JR Kyoto Station building is an event that has been held there by the Kyoto Broadcasting System Company Limited (KBS) on the third Saturday every February since 1998. The competitors run up the staircase, which has 171 steps, is 35 meters in height (equivalent to an 11 story building), and a total length of 70 meters.
Official rules
Runners should enter the competition in groups of four. Every group should include a person aged 45 or older, and a woman.
The above-mentioned four members of a group are the race unit, and these four start off at once. Each runner's time required to reach the goal is recorded.
The running pace - for example, going literally step by step, taking every third step, or putting the foot on every fourth step - is left to the discretion of runners themselves.
At present, when some part of the runner's body crosses the finish line, he or she is considered to have reached the goal, but in the future, a runner will be certified only when his or her whole body crosses over the line.
The group division of the competition is ranked according to the total time of the four. If some groups record the same time, they are ranked according to the total age of the four.
The individual divisions are further categorized into three (the general section, the aged-45-or-older section, and the women's section), and runners are ranked according to their time in each section. If some people record the same time, they are also ranked according to their age.
In case the best time is recorded by multiple competitors, they have a run-off.
When somebody gets five consecutive victories, the runner enters this competition's hall of fame.