For many people, lifts are the natural way of getting to the upper floors of a tall building.

For 300 runners in Vietnam, though, the stairs are the only way to get to the top of the 350-metre-tall Keangnam Hanoi Landmark Tower, the country's tallest building.

The competitors raced up the steep turns and twists of the stairwell, scaling 1,912 steps in all.

The race was held as part of the Vertical World Circuit 2012 series.