KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 10 — At 2am in a Beijing airport, Soh Wai Ching was curled up in a toilet stall using his bag as a pillow. The organiser of his latest race had messed up his hotel booking — with no money for a last-minute room, that was his only option.

The next morning, stiff and exhausted, he raced up a skyscraper against the world’s best.

This is the life of a tower running champion, a sport where world titles bring little money, athletes travel the world on shoestring budgets, and races last only a few minutes.

Soh, 30, may be Malaysia’s most relentless athlete, but unless you are a tower running enthusiast, you have probably never heard of him. He was the world’s number one tower runner from 2022 until November 2024, but unless he loses, not much is written about him.

Worth the sprint?

Soh competes in over 30 races a year, scaling some of the world's tallest buildings like the Taipei 101, Shanghai Tower (103 storeys), Merdeka 118 and the One World Trade Center in New York (104 floors).

For comparison, he competed in 39 competitions last year, while his closest challenger and current world champion Ryoji Watanabe only competed in 15 competitions. Despite that, his earnings are shockingly low.

"The world championship only gives €3,000 (RM15,000). Some races offer just €300 (RM1,500). The KL Tower run paid RM15,000.

"That’s why people ask me why I’m doing this professionally, and my answer is: I want to be the best. The problem is: The best doesn’t really pay the bills,” he told Malay Mail in a recent interview.

Soh said in 2024 he spent over RM160,000 on expenses, with RM100,000 alone allocated for travel. In contrast, he made less than RM180,000.

"As you can see, it’s not much. It’s not glorifying. That’s why I survive on sponsorship, even though funding isn’t guaranteed. If sponsors takda, habis,” he added.

"Bear in mind these are all not fixed, it could end after a year and I don’t have Social Security Organisation and Employees’ Provident Fund [savings] to back me up.”

With limited funds, Soh has mastered the art of extreme budget travel. He often flies in races and flies out on the same day — skipping hotels entirely.

"There was one race where I took the night flight, landed in the morning, took the metro straight to the venue, raced and flew back the same day.

"Once in Beijing I had nowhere to go. I tried sleeping in the lobby, but security kept waking me up. In the end, I slept in a toilet stall. No one bothered me there,” he said, recalling the gruelling lifestyle for a sport that barely lasts minutes.

Soh took 73 flights in 2023 and 24 flights in 2024. He spent 402 hours on planes in a year, the equivalent of 16.8 days in the air.

Training for a three-minute race

Tower running is a sprint on stairs. Some races last as long as 18 minutes, but the shortest are over in just a minute.

For these races, Soh said he trains by walking 400 floors a day at stairwells in housing flats. Before a race, he studies videos of the stairs of the venue, memorising every turn like an F1 driver learning a track.

He meticulously records his races, analysing every detail to refine his performance. His collection of staircase footage serves as a training tool, allowing him to memorise each route down to the smallest nuance.

"I record my races to collect data, then I watch them over and over, memorising every floor, every step, every turn looking for the perfect route. By the time I get there, I’ve already run it a thousand times in my head,” he explained.

To ensure absolute precision, Soh said he even trains with a metronome, to keep his climbing rhythm perfectly in sync.

"If I lose, it’s not because of fitness, it’s because I didn’t prepare properly,” he said confidently.

Soh drinks coffee and has biscuits in the morning. He trains all day and for lunch has a sandwich with wholemeal bread with some protein and plenty of fresh juices.

When abroad he takes caffeine capsules from Zus Coffee — which is one of his sponsors, vitamin capsules, and he looks for mixed rice for sustenance and fuel when travelling.

"In European countries I try to find Japanese food like udon or ramen and also go for vegetarian options if they are available. I don’t smoke, I hate vapes, and I do not drink.”

Despite the gruelling travel, low prize money, and lack of recognition, Soh does not plan on slowing down soon.

"I believe I’m still the best in the world. There are still training methods I haven’t fully explored, like wearing a weighted vest and altitude training.”

One of his next big plans is to train in Genting Highlands, where the lower oxygen levels could help improve his endurance.

"Genting’s altitude forces your lungs to work harder. I want to stay there for a month, then come down and compete to see how my body responds. The problem is, I barely have time to do it,” he admitted.

Changing perceptions about stairs

Beyond his career, Soh said he hopes to inspire Malaysians to believe in themselves and break free from the idea that they cannot be the best in the world. He also would like to change how people think about stair climbing.

"People think running up the stairs is bad for your knees, but it’s actually going down that puts stress on them. Going up is all good. Just take the elevator down and go again,” he said.

"You don’t need a gym membership, you don’t need to travel anywhere—especially if you live in an apartment or work in an office. The stairs are right there.”

For Soh, the key to success isn’t just about training, it’s about changing mindsets. He’s just begun a new journey as a motivational speaker.

"Malaysians need to start believing that they can be world beaters. We don’t need to be enamoured by others, we’re capable of being global champions,” he said.

Soh is scheduled to sign a deal with the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) this afternoon.