Video: Australian runner wins 'vertical marathon' up the Empire State Building

Mark Bourne celebrates after crossing the finish line winning the 36th annual Empire State Building run-up in New York (AFP)

With 86 flights of stairs, the prospect of running a marathon up the Empire State Building may be too much for even the hardiest of marathon runners.

Not so for Mark Bourne, the Canberran who won the 36th annual run up one of the tallest buildings in New York. He came in at 10 minutes and 12 seconds, afterwards saying that it was "a great feeling to come out on top".

He added: "It was pretty hectic at the start. I was second, third, second and at the 60th floor I took the lead."

In the women's division, Suzy Walsham, also from Australia, won with a time of 12 minutes and 5 seconds.

The race, which is organised by the New York Road Runners, saw 700 competitors from around the world race up the 1,576 steps from the lobby to the observation deck.

The previous champion, Thomas Dold from Germany, did not race for what could have been his eighth consecutive title, saying he had "364 days to think about" the next race.