34 couples show their love by running 43 storeys up Singapore's Suntec Tower By Patwant Singh, Channel NewsAsia SINGAPORE: 34 couples showed their love by running 43 storeys up Suntec Tower 4. The event was part of the Romancing Singapore Festival. In keeping with the spirit of the NTU Vertical Marathon Lovers Challenge, organisers ensured the partnership was not formed just for the race. Each pair had to be lovers, and each couple had to end the race holding hands. Most couples took about 10 minutes to complete the race, although timing was the least of their concerns. Thankfully, there was the elevator to get everyone back to ground level. The one setback, though, was the missing view from the roof-top. The participants were supposed to finish their romantic run on the 45th-floor rooftop of the building. However, due to safety and security concerns, they ended up two storeys short. Organisers were also happy with the number of participants. "For this year, initially we only had 16 couples and we increased that to 30-odd couples. So we will be looking at more couples in the future," said Ng Wan Yi, chairperson of the National Vertical Marathon. - CNA Copyright © 2004 MCN I

There goes our chance to be on TV... Does a bunch of couples running up stairs warrent a news story? Or is it just the "invisible hand" of the government trying to increase public awareness in Singapore's procreation aim. Wadeva.