The Empire State Building Run-Up, sponsored by Turkey's flag carrier Turkish Airlines, was held in New York on Tuesday.

Around 200 runners from 24 countries took part in the event, the world's first and most famous tower race.

The athletes climbed 1,576 stairs, or 1,050 vertical feet (320 meters), to the 86th floor of the fifth tallest building in the U.S. for the 43rd annual event.

Wai Ching Soh from Malaysia won the men’s invitational with a time of 10 minutes and 46 seconds, while Cindy Harris from the U.S. won the women's competition with 14 minutes and 1 second.

The winners were awarded open tickets by Turkish Airlines.

The Istanbul Education and Solidarity Foundation for the Mentally Handicapped (IZEV), with the support of Turkey’s Youth and Sports Ministry, participated in the race with two athletes to draw attention to the rights of the disabled.

Kemal Özdemir and Mert Onaran, an athlete involved in social responsibility projects, joined the race on behalf of IZEV.