SHAH ALAM, July 5 — Every year, Soh Wai Ching boards around 80 flights, racing up some of the world’s most iconic skyscrapers. From the Empire State Building in New York to Taipei 101 in Taiwan and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the 32-year-old Malaysian has turned staircases into his stage.
Today, he is the world’s top-ranked tower runner, a world champion, a two-time Guinness World Record holder, and the face of a sport many Malaysians had never even heard of a decade ago.
Yet, for Soh, the accolades were never his ultimate goal.
“I wanted to make tower running popular and affordable to every Malaysian," he told Media Selangor in a recent interview at his residence.
That ambition has been Soh’s main driver since he first decided to take the sport seriously in 2017, transforming not only his own life but also the profile of Malaysian tower running on the global stage.
Ironically, his journey to becoming the world’s best began with a race he did not enjoy.
Soh first learned about tower running from his older brother about 15 years ago, before deciding to try the Kuala Lumpur (KL) Tower Run in 2013. The experience failed to leave an impression.
The University Malaya graduate then focused on road running, where he excelled, recording personal bests of 16 minutes for the 5km and 33 minutes for the 10km. He also won the 10km category at the Standard Chartered KL Marathon.
Then came an invitation from a friend in 2017. With a month of preparation and armed with knowledge gained through his sports science studies, he entered the KL Tower Run once again and, this time, finished as the fastest Malaysian and second overall.
The result changed everything, and Soh realised that he possessed a natural ability in a sport few people were pursuing professionally. More importantly, he saw an opportunity.
“I gave myself three years to see how far I could go. I began compiling lists of athletes who had beaten me, studying their performances and learning from them and within a few years, I climbed to world number one,” Soh said.
But reaching the top was not without challenges.
A dream that almost ended
Growing up, he said sports were never considered a conventional career path. Soh’s father drove a taxi while his mother was a housewife, and as the youngest of four siblings, he often found himself compared with brothers and sisters who excelled academically.
“Two earned doctorates, and another built a successful career in banking. My parents worried about the uncertainty of sports, especially one as obscure as tower running,” he said, although he was determined to prove that athletes could build sustainable careers.
The challenge was immense: prize money was modest, sponsorship was limited, and every international trip demanded careful planning and financial sacrifice. And unlike many professional athletes, Soh shoulders virtually every aspect of his career himself.
The toughest chapter came during the COVID-19 pandemic, just as he was climbing the global rankings in tower running. With international tournaments cancelled and sponsorship opportunities drying up, Soh found himself stranded in Dubai for nearly a year.
Travelling frequently would have required expensive quarantine arrangements beyond his means, and at one point, he could barely afford a flight ticket back to Malaysia.
“I stayed with friends and generous Malaysian families while trying to keep my career alive. The situation became so desperate that I considered walking away from the sport altogether,” Soh said.
Then, a news report highlighting his predicament changed his fortunes.
“The story caught the attention of businessman Tan Sri Vincent Tan, whose foundation stepped in to provide sponsorship support. Later, assistance also came from the Petaling Jaya City Council,” he said.
The support enabled Soh to continue competing internationally, paving the way for him to eventually become the undisputed world number one in April 2022. He held the top spot until late 2024, when his ranking dropped to second, then reclaimed it in 2025.
Carrying Malaysia on every climb
For Soh, tower running has never been solely about personal achievement; every race is an opportunity to represent Malaysia.
"I travel with the Jalur Gemilang and often introduce fellow competitors to Malaysian food and culture,” he said.
Beyond competition, Soh hopes his achievements leave a lasting impression on Malaysians themselves.
“When Malaysians travel to New York and see the Empire State Building, they can say, ‘That is Malaysia, Soh Wai Ching’s record’,” he said.
Soh also credited Selangor for recognising his achievements long before tower running gained wider national attention.
He was named Selangor Sportsman of the Year for 2023 and 2024 and was honoured with a Bintang Kecemerlangan Sukan sports excellence award during the Sultan of Selangor’s birthday celebrations last year.
“I am so grateful Selangor supported me… and that could be the recognition that athletes need,” Soh said.
The champion who wants to be beaten
After achieving goals he once thought impossible, retirement crossed his mind, but he soon found new mountains to climb.
"My next targets are course records at iconic towers around the world, including the Empire State Building and Taipei 101,” Soh said.
He also wants to improve on an already astonishing career winning rate of 73.9 per cent (150 titles out of 203 races), and is now targeting a benchmark of 85 per cent.
“I hope to take down as many course records as possible, to put my name and my country’s name up there,” he said, adding that he hopes to remain world number one for as long as possible before eventually passing the mantle to another Malaysian.
“I’m building up a team. My goal is to bring two more (athletes), so that there will be three Malaysians in the world’s top 10,” Soh said, naming Muhammad Hazim Zuhairi Azahari and Ayman Hakimy Salehuddin as part of a new generation of Malaysian tower runners capable of surpassing him.
“I hope someone beats me; I am waiting for that moment. If someone beats you, that means it is good for the sport.
“It cannot be Wai Ching winning all the time. I would be happy if someone finally reaches my level, beats me and goes beyond my level,” he said.
Soh regularly shares training methods, race strategies, and performance data with younger athletes, believing that knowledge should be passed on rather than kept secret.
As he looks to the future, his message remains the same: “Whatever you like to do in life, just go and try it out. Be curious, keep learning, and keep improving. (Aim) to reach the top one per cent in your field. Eventually, Malaysia will be a better place.”
