HOHHOT, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- A vertical marathon, attracting over 300 participators, kicked off on Friday in north China's Hohhot, the capital city of Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region.

He Liangliang claimed men's title after conquering 25 floors in three minutes and seven seconds, and Tian Lin won women's race with five minutes and 42 seconds.

Stair climbing, first known as "vertical races" in the 1970s, is now a global sport with stair climbing clubs from around the world.

"Stair climbing can help me do excises more efficiently, and it's quite exciting and requires strong heart-lung function." He said.

The 33-year-old He used to like jogging and running marathon, and he got interested in vertical races in 2005.

Many participants tried vertical marathon for the first time, and most people were out of breath after reaching the top of the building.

"I feel so tired and exhausted," Wang Xin said, gasping, "but it's quite exciting, especially climbing stairs together with my rookie colleagues."

Wang Xin finished the race less than seven minutes, still faster than his cheer-up colleagues who waited the elevator for a while on the first floor and took elevator to reach the top floor.

"We are used to take elevator every day, forgetting stair climbing as a good exercise. It's good for us to walk more and to climb stairs as well." added Wang.