tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62521975208468966212024-03-13T10:11:52.798+08:00HAPPIEFEETNick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.comBlogger344125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-28531815054870295602022-10-19T14:39:00.000+08:002022-10-19T14:39:13.709+08:00Asics Novablast 3 Initial Review<p style="text-align: justify;">I've been battling with some chronic health issues for the past 7 weeks and have only just started on my road to recovery<i> (hopefully)</i> but through all this I've managed to give the <b><i>Asics Novablast 3</i></b> some mileage and come up with an initial review of the shoe.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Now, I'm not one who loves bulky and heavy shoes. My running friends can attest to that. I have the original Asics Novablast and I thoroughly disliked that shoe. It was totally unstable, chunky and just about too cushy for me. Some may like very cushioned shoes but not me. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjor7wa6E8Q42wCvajTg0Rg3F-cs2AbL3l-Yj12Lc8m5Yr4Uq0OLtb6nk8Hcl2HY0KB-uuRktX2uIzDyfXohZ5FRktkaaHr563R69xFjqzwaXhW1J4tZwZ88mbBF4YMtlK8h6p5LPm4ZpnWrfXm1CEYH3PqchpVPMq0ZxeOFu9A-lXMqZgtsWE4RdWtw/s4000/1666161294961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2252" data-original-width="4000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjor7wa6E8Q42wCvajTg0Rg3F-cs2AbL3l-Yj12Lc8m5Yr4Uq0OLtb6nk8Hcl2HY0KB-uuRktX2uIzDyfXohZ5FRktkaaHr563R69xFjqzwaXhW1J4tZwZ88mbBF4YMtlK8h6p5LPm4ZpnWrfXm1CEYH3PqchpVPMq0ZxeOFu9A-lXMqZgtsWE4RdWtw/w640-h360/1666161294961.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">But when I was given the Novablast 3 for trial purposes, I was a little skeptical. But being someone who don't judge shoes and make all kinds of assumptions until I actually try them, I decided to give them a try. Lo and behold, I was actually surprised when I took them out of the box, for one thing, while the Novablast 3 still had that chunky physical look, it definitely lost quite a bit of weight from its predecessor <i>(I'm basing my review on the original as I've not had the luxury of trying the V2)</i>, that much I could tell right away. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Asics Novablast 3 is a much more polished and cushioned daily trainer that is best suited for those easy and long run days. In fact, while I haven't done any long runs in them yet, I'd say they're even good as a race day shoe. The new Flytefoam Blast+ midsole takes away a lot of the weight and provides a higher level of cushioning with a much more lighter and softer return but with less of the unstable bounce of its predecessor.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITtHfnamqxuUeNeYCnD9xLtUG-wl6b4-LoXiyXzLT20UuNywiQmFv4HxR22jNsP7phnHa4A6K7CzivBev1QhPXx-VN-liIS4oUmllafVYu9df9gFy5ZGYptN7WYQu3gHhJk9BLd74RPPTccMMwqVk7ZI-ocNhrOd77bVATSE2YDy-r7kTRU4cZOZO6Q/s4000/1666161231674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2252" data-original-width="4000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITtHfnamqxuUeNeYCnD9xLtUG-wl6b4-LoXiyXzLT20UuNywiQmFv4HxR22jNsP7phnHa4A6K7CzivBev1QhPXx-VN-liIS4oUmllafVYu9df9gFy5ZGYptN7WYQu3gHhJk9BLd74RPPTccMMwqVk7ZI-ocNhrOd77bVATSE2YDy-r7kTRU4cZOZO6Q/w640-h360/1666161231674.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Asics also added some new sidewalls <i>(which addresses the instability of its predecessor)</i> with a much better upper lockdown to give it a much more secure ride with a lower heel drop which provides a little more guidance during your runs. The other thing that caught my eye right out of the box was the new redesigned upper that provides a nice snug and secure fit. The knit upper is actually fantastic and extremely breathable in the forefoot though the slightly thicker parts in the midfoot and heel are less so but overall very comfortable. The partially gusseted tongue with a notched top sit around the ankle nicely and is lightly padded and feels soft on the foot. The stiffer heel counter with a larger amount of heel collar padding gives the heel a nice solid hold.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">My Asics Novablast 3 which is a US9 fit true to size though it does look a tad huge on me. Like I mentioned earlier, the shoe lost a lot of weight coming in at 253g for my US9 with a stack height of 38mm / 30mm making it an 8mm drop shoe as opposed to the earlier version which had a 10mm drop. While it's not as light as most of my other shoes but it is definitely light enough that has endeared me to it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpOgJxXyJFZaQ5Qe6DBrQC3uS1aOiBPU6e8qk0JwgwDJ1-rd_oskaBqrhkVBxuIBE3HmeJNZoi3j18IiTxIU-f197tQJDztV0PwcO9M5XRAkgK66MRU3k8WQEuVBES-R1hHdLQw-8kdA_1g3vM9S7X1-G66dLzvj1As0en8GpyL6rVBs_rJ78aIDWfA/s4000/1666161294957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2252" data-original-width="4000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpOgJxXyJFZaQ5Qe6DBrQC3uS1aOiBPU6e8qk0JwgwDJ1-rd_oskaBqrhkVBxuIBE3HmeJNZoi3j18IiTxIU-f197tQJDztV0PwcO9M5XRAkgK66MRU3k8WQEuVBES-R1hHdLQw-8kdA_1g3vM9S7X1-G66dLzvj1As0en8GpyL6rVBs_rJ78aIDWfA/w640-h360/1666161294957.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Overall, the Asics Novablast 3 was a pleasant surprised to me. I disliked the original due to it's weight, instability and chunkiness but this third iteration is a lot more structured and stable. The sidewalls keeps you a little more centred and the Flytefoam Blast+ has a lot more resilience upon landing. The Novablast 3 still maintains a nice amount of bounce but has a lot more rigidity and firmness to it. The outsole seems to look very similar to the V2 but with a flatter profile making transitions a lot smoother. The grip was pretty good though I haven't tested it on wet roads just yet. The high wear areas has thicker rubber coverage so I'm guessing the durability should be pretty good.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">From what little mileage<i> </i>in them, I'd have to say the Asics Novablast 3 is a shoe with a bouncy structure ride for those looking for a soft, snug daily trainer for those daily easy and long miles. While it does seem to bottom out a little at much faster paces, it can still work pretty good for those controlled up-tempo sessions.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UnEt48AHVBUKr8xuNuKq4L0DeqbGFNjDPF4TnM9zU-2n2_zbMh5cpTuwh8VBzEY7NSDgIvou3ZQjm8Zd_J-NeOg219cO-YkEK0MXt89rbdnoGbfxgWlbFtbZRyyFoMCT_plx1-xCvn0x2QFGLX7IslcDtnPsuQfBWD_HdJsdc3yuRUmI497Nf2ynYw/s4000/1666161231679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2252" data-original-width="4000" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-UnEt48AHVBUKr8xuNuKq4L0DeqbGFNjDPF4TnM9zU-2n2_zbMh5cpTuwh8VBzEY7NSDgIvou3ZQjm8Zd_J-NeOg219cO-YkEK0MXt89rbdnoGbfxgWlbFtbZRyyFoMCT_plx1-xCvn0x2QFGLX7IslcDtnPsuQfBWD_HdJsdc3yuRUmI497Nf2ynYw/w640-h360/1666161231679.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">And with my health slowly coming back, I'm looking forward to a lot longer miles in them soon as I haven't really put the shoe to its potential just yet. With the <b><i>Asics Hyper Speed 2</i></b>, that's reserved for my speed/interval days, the <b><i>Asics Novablast 3</i></b> as my daily trainer and my <i><b>Asics Metaspeed Edge+</b></i> as part of my rotation, I think I've got all aspects of my upcoming training all covered.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Asics Novablast 3 was kindly provided for review purposes by <a href="https://www.asics.com/my/en-my?gclid=Cj0KCQjwnbmaBhD-ARIsAGTPcfWzkkFiRSfAlhVUEn3ysYJbusm8hrIDXQ4LmYJfbqH-TwrRe1kKP0UaAsfkEALw_wcB"><i>Asics Malaysia</i></a> at no cost but this review is of my own personal opinion and is in no way influenced by Asics Malaysia whatsoever. The Asics Novablast 3 is now available in Asics Retail Store and Asics.com at RM529.00.</p>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-58683623762099453822022-10-06T12:11:00.005+08:002022-10-06T12:11:54.446+08:00Press Release: ASICS LAUNCHES NOVABLAST™ 3 TO GIVE YOUR RUN A BOUNCY RUNNING EXPERIENCE<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1SYIR0vDN7vvDnFNoyY08i5YbkfpRyyyaC5X1RWzS1AbWYCGs_6OStWc79zv283Sao8trHZZw0BW3cNbOEK25IJ6OrDi2kAf14F0FqSYZ5TbWjG6_iqPQgO2YDF3wpt6PRJuN483V-ew9sjQcyGAVoTIzdagdSqvuVMydSOVOTkZO1T8DOscXHyG4A/s1404/AW22_Asics_Novablast%203_M_B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1284" data-original-width="1404" height="586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis1SYIR0vDN7vvDnFNoyY08i5YbkfpRyyyaC5X1RWzS1AbWYCGs_6OStWc79zv283Sao8trHZZw0BW3cNbOEK25IJ6OrDi2kAf14F0FqSYZ5TbWjG6_iqPQgO2YDF3wpt6PRJuN483V-ew9sjQcyGAVoTIzdagdSqvuVMydSOVOTkZO1T8DOscXHyG4A/w640-h586/AW22_Asics_Novablast%203_M_B.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>[October 05, 2022 - KUALA LUMPUR]</b> - ASICS is releasing the NOVABLAST™ 3 shoe in Malaysia. Combining a geometric origami design with technology, the third generation of ASICS’ unique cushioning trainer offers a bouncing running experience that keeps you lively and motivated on your run.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Through ASICS’ technology, the shoe’s midsole is now equipped with FF BLAST™ PLUS technology. With an extra millimeter added to the heel and forefoot, this new cushioning material is designed to offer a bouncy running experience, providing a more energized rebound in each step. In addition, the NOVABLAST™ 3 shoe is now approximately 22g lighter* than its predecessor NOVABLAST™ 2 shoe, making it the lightweight shoe to keep up with an active lifestyle.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To further enhance the shoe’s fit and comfort, ASICS’ Notch Tongue Construction, a wing construction, is incorporated in the tongue design. The notch on the upper allows it to cradle the foot for an even distribution of potential pressure points and reduced tongue movement. What’s more, the shoe’s heel is also reinforced with a more supportive design to help guide the foot with more control through your gait cycle.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcv6OX7IuOnr4aFBePJLgxXMyqu_QoEUynAO-_VmpvCtbxIU3gRo4xGXqy1_7zgkYVPxH6xDuQfAkCcn14F913grZt7EHYusw_HdINsIAHvllhJ-Od6odkVf3pxgspAk4k1V18H28MpIe5ZhNcwyK0vHQ-G1OOpMGxhEpRfwigBIKv0LH0Lt6Jr8yyA/s5527/AW22_Asics_PR_Novablast_3_F_HR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4568" data-original-width="5527" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcv6OX7IuOnr4aFBePJLgxXMyqu_QoEUynAO-_VmpvCtbxIU3gRo4xGXqy1_7zgkYVPxH6xDuQfAkCcn14F913grZt7EHYusw_HdINsIAHvllhJ-Od6odkVf3pxgspAk4k1V18H28MpIe5ZhNcwyK0vHQ-G1OOpMGxhEpRfwigBIKv0LH0Lt6Jr8yyA/w640-h528/AW22_Asics_PR_Novablast_3_F_HR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hisanori Fujita, Manager, Performance Footwear, Design department at ASICS said: “The team at ASICS is beyond excited about the launch of NOVABLAST™ 3 shoe. With design evolution and the latest technology, this new generation offers an even bouncier running experience and better support. As part of ASICS’ mission to help everybody experience the power of sport on body and mind, NOVABLAST™ 3 shoe can equip you for a more active lifestyle. The bouncy running experience this new shoe delivers will certainly keep you motivated in achieving a sound mind in a sound body through exercise.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The NOVABLAST™ 3 shoe is just one of the ways in which ASICS is helping everyone move, available for men and women at ASICS Retail Stores & ASICS.COM now for RM529.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To find out more about the NOVABLAST™ 3 shoe and latest technologies, please visit <a href="https://www.asics.com/my/en-my/mk/novablast-3."><i>https://www.asics.com/my/en-my/mk/novablast-3. </i></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-50192098562716665012022-10-02T12:47:00.012+08:002022-10-02T14:04:49.060+08:00Taking Stock. New Perspectives. Moving on.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUy5DKDO9LyYeSK4WsC8Y-mBHdvRiqMi8ToCyo0mHNNeBlAvxcMuZZ_moaSRc17l-5_iyTts9JwevwPbsp1WcljqmlDw0B0S8ha5ta8KhlP3VzgVt5GrOa_Gnkyss8Z0Opw8UnRr-1xOWrnWnXrDTfZM3IsYBHwluhTIMonYzHuEoKz7n3qFDCoYgig/s1200/IMG_20220614_094103_877.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUy5DKDO9LyYeSK4WsC8Y-mBHdvRiqMi8ToCyo0mHNNeBlAvxcMuZZ_moaSRc17l-5_iyTts9JwevwPbsp1WcljqmlDw0B0S8ha5ta8KhlP3VzgVt5GrOa_Gnkyss8Z0Opw8UnRr-1xOWrnWnXrDTfZM3IsYBHwluhTIMonYzHuEoKz7n3qFDCoYgig/w640-h480/IMG_20220614_094103_877.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The month of September is a month I'd really love to forget that it ever existed. It's been a month of chaos, stress and suffering all rolled into one unrelenting day after another. The events that happened within the month has given me a new perspective to life and to a certain extent running. I needed to get this off my chest and also that if in the future I ever need reminding of the more important things and people in my life, I can shove this down my face. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">It all started when I contracted the damn dengue virus in the first week of September. I felt very feverish, the body was achy, even worse than marathon aches, my movements were laboured, extreme fatigue, headaches, I felt nauseous and while I'm not a firm believer in our "modern" medicine these days, the wife forced me to go to one so I reluctantly went.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The doctor looked me over and said you have the symptoms of dengue but looks mild <i>(mild, God if only I could transfer what I was feeling to her)</i> and prescribed me the usual anti-biotics, fever meds, etc and told me to just rest at home and only admit myself if I felt worse or the fever doesn't go down in 3 days. I personally thought that was such a lame diagnose of my condition which took all of 3 minutes but heck, what do I know, I'm no doctor.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">There were some positives, cos in a day or so the fever went away but the nausea was still there on and off. My appetite was the pits, nothing looked at all enticing to me but the wife made sure she forced food down my throat to get my health back up as soon as possible. My weight remained constant and wasn't dropping which was a good thing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Things got a little better in about 4 days or so and I was even able to start my walks, yes walks, again. I was thankful for small victories or so I thought. A day or two later, was an incident that had me changing my entire outlook on life how selfish I've been to the one person who cares about me the most.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">It was close to my usual bedtime <i>(between 8.30 to 9.00pm)</i>. I was feeling fine the entire day but as I laid down for the night, I suddenly felt like throwing up. As any ordinary person would do in a situation like this, they'd rush to the toilet which was what I did or tried to do cos the moment I got up out of bed, I took two steps and had no memory of what happened after.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The account here is all from my wife. She was on her phone surfing beside me and said I took two steps and went down like a ton of bricks. The fall was so loud, even the older boy heard it all the way from downstairs. At first she though I tripped but the sound and the way I fell, drove her up instantly and she ran to me. She said I was flat out on the floor unmoving and all kinds of bad and crazy thoughts crossed her mind. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">But she saw that I was still breathing and she managed to get me conscious in about 30-40 seconds, which drew a huge sigh of relief from her. The first thing I asked asked was how did I fall off the bed from there to here? I couldn't remember a thing and thought I fell off the bed. While getting me up and back into bed, was when she realized I was bleeding from a few places on my face and body <i>(from hitting the cupboard edges and floor)</i>. There was no time for a proper inspection cos this was when I blacked out again on the bed and she said I went into a fit like state with only the whites of my eyes showing for a few seconds before she slapped me out of it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Right after this, the vomiting fit began. I started puking what little content in my stomach, which was not much really and practically all the bile I had in me non-stop for close to how long I can't remember <i>(maybe 20-30 mins)</i> but God, it was absolutely painful! I was also sweating so profusely that even running an ultra in the heat of Putrajaya didn't make me sweat this much. But through all this I was coherent enough to take stock of things like chest tightness, cramping, numbness, loss of motion or heart palpitations to know for sure it wasn't my heart. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">After nearly 50 minutes from the fall, I finally got hold of myself and calmed down enough to get back to some semblance of normalcy. I check my HR data just to be sure and my AHR during the incident never peaked to more than 96-100bpm so I guess I was good in that aspect. The next few hours was spent with the wife getting me hydrated properly again. She even called the younger boy to get a crate of isotonic drinks on his way back from work. The bile alone in the bucket could have filled up an entire can or two, let's not talk about the sweat I lost. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm grateful that this happened when the wife was there cos I dread to think what would have happened if I was outside somewhere on my own. This was the point where it made me evaluate a lot of things. The wife was so worried <i>(and scared)</i> when I blacked out and this is not something she has handled before nor would want to but she steeled herself up pretty well to make sure I got out of this in one piece. She even fell and hurt herself while rushing to attend to me but adrenalin masked the pain and she only realized after things calmed down. I felt so bad for that.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But that wasn't the end of it, just as I was finally recovering from this scary episode and was already even starting to start my runs again, I got hit by the chills, fever, body aches and cough! Damn, what is going on I thought? One week after another, non-stop unrelenting health issues. I was back to being so fatigued from the fever and the cough was another issue. I was restless at nights, couldn't fall asleep <i>(normally between 3-4am every night) </i>and was walking around the room trying to tire myself out and doing my best not to wake the wife up. Then there was the cough. One thing I hate is having a cough that keeps draining you all day non-stop. Again the wife forced me to go see a doctor. This time I went to a different one, at least he was much better. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I was seething with anger by this point, cursing whatever Gods were picking on me for whatever reasons I don't know. I was down, beaten, lowly and depressed. But then my wife, as she always does whenever I get into moods like this, sat me down and told me that it's time to stop this nonsense of self deprecating myself. It took some listening but it finally hit home that I've been practically putting undue stress and pressure on myself that contributed to my health issues the past months. She was right this nonsense has to stop.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMAw_FEn0Xw2BmuiX7puI6JbEfsGtYoEmIXqjpR5iYqjEI00FBQb8DeGec32VjLpmkuUo2B_UqAeb3eP2BPRkkR4QPjhFW1Dx0TQrgfXSjnL0oY4MrLFBG6wmznKPswCmZ3gdhBdnuRxJ5fszo1t4j70Bb85f3aPL6qgBqS7zQz6ozCjc1s2mzmYWpw/s1600/IMG_20220223_080633.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMAw_FEn0Xw2BmuiX7puI6JbEfsGtYoEmIXqjpR5iYqjEI00FBQb8DeGec32VjLpmkuUo2B_UqAeb3eP2BPRkkR4QPjhFW1Dx0TQrgfXSjnL0oY4MrLFBG6wmznKPswCmZ3gdhBdnuRxJ5fszo1t4j70Bb85f3aPL6qgBqS7zQz6ozCjc1s2mzmYWpw/w480-h640/IMG_20220223_080633.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I realized that in my pursuit for running excellence chasing one goal after another, experimenting with one plan after another, running one race after another, I've selfishly put my interest upfront and relegated her to sidelines. It's always and must be me first. And when I fail, I tend to take things very personally. I tend to blame my uselessness or lack of talent, blame the world even, with all sorts of excuses for my failures. </p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yet through all this, she's been a pillar of strength to me. Whenever, I feel like a failure, she's the first to pull me up, whenever things look bleak, she's the first to sit me down with a long pep talk. And believe me, I've taken it all for granted. But after the month I've had, it has given me a lot of time to take stock of my life and identify my weaknesses.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The past two years of the pandemic also didn't help things much, too many worries about how to make ends meet, will our savings last the duration, will we have to close shop, will I be able to put food on the table, all that was really weighing heavily on my mind though I'd be the last to admit it. Running your own company also tends to take a huge toll sometimes. Being totally useless health wise the past month has given me lots of time to think about things.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I've been doing this all wrong, looking at it from a very silly and skewered perspective of things. Looking back, life wasn't really that bad, we had food, we had savings and yet I made it look all doom and gloom and somehow it affected me subconsciously, my health took a dip, my temper levels rose, my zoning out level<i> (as the wife put it) </i>where I would just simply ... zone out became very frequent. I was more concerned about my running or lack of to be honest.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But after the month I've had, it finally hit me that while I love running, it really isn't everything compared to my family. If I fall sick, my running isn't going to take care of me, my wife will, which she has been doing such a back breaking job the past month to get me back to health. Don't get me wrong, I still love running and buying one running shoe after another but I have to prioritize the more meaningful and important things in my life first. Running can NEVER and MUST never take the top spot from her.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I cannot simply be selfish anymore and put running above all else. I still have goals, mind you and I know I am a person who can achieve them but not without her by my side anymore. Even GCM22 was really not the same without her there. You can bet your bottom dollar, I'm dragging her to #GCM23 even if I have to stuff her in my luggage! Life and running simply isn't the same if she's not in it with me together. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Right now, I'm somewhat on the road to recovery, save for a persistent and irritating cough along with some fatigue. My fitness level has taken a dip so bad that it'll take months to get back to some semblance of fitness but my priority right now is to get healthy first and then slowly build the fitness back up again. I'm training my mind to see the positives in life and not look at all things as doom and gloom. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The only person who can help me is myself and I aim to do that! And taking a page of the wife's wise words of wisdom - This will pass! Happiefeet V2, coming soon LOL!</p>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-23834456969771915152022-07-14T17:27:00.002+08:002022-07-15T07:07:55.130+08:00 Gold Coast Marathon 2022: The Final Countdown - Race Day 2, The Village Roadshow Theme Parks Marathon<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDGH2gHanWzj2lX9OVC6QpLqIgDUT8SgZPUODo_UN112ghizcvA6llceD8cbBkc6o1JrT3YC6TlsoUrtn_UzKmzmHtOMCfKpMP-mvm7tPTWVi5TloJ5-5Ni7sIYXmLfn0CKTT7pqob6pH7AKas4oMpV4UvT0L0lakEhe9i_aHHuSO5LobPAuPVEoR5w/s3552/LXBP6535-original.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2368" data-original-width="3552" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDGH2gHanWzj2lX9OVC6QpLqIgDUT8SgZPUODo_UN112ghizcvA6llceD8cbBkc6o1JrT3YC6TlsoUrtn_UzKmzmHtOMCfKpMP-mvm7tPTWVi5TloJ5-5Ni7sIYXmLfn0CKTT7pqob6pH7AKas4oMpV4UvT0L0lakEhe9i_aHHuSO5LobPAuPVEoR5w/w640-h426/LXBP6535-original.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And that's a wrap!</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">With the struggle of the half marathon behind me, I was seriously in doubts as to my abilities to finish the marathon. Like I mentioned in my earlier <a href="http://happiefeet.blogspot.com/2022/07/gold-coast-marathon-2022-double-fun.html" target="_blank"><i>post</i></a>, my self confidence was shattered. Did I have it in me to get through the <b>Village Roadshow Theme Parks</b> 42.195km's ahead of me? I really couldn't answer that. Thoughts of not starting were high on my list. Excuses were beginning to form in my numb brain. My legs can't take it, my old ticker wasn't up to it, I might get injured and the list of excuses go on. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">But I finally composed my thought and remembered what my wife always says. Putting negative thoughts in your mind to begin with is already a failure in itself. You haven't even tried yet, how would you know you would fail? Comforting words but still a daunting task ahead was waiting for me. I put all the negatives aside, pushed what was coming the next day out of my head and focused on finishing what I started out to do.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">After an early dinner of pasta at our usual pre-marathon restaurant, it was straight back to the hotel to prep the race gear and call it an early night. Sleep was hard to come by and I was practically twisting and turning the entire night. The only consolation was waking up the next morning to great racing weather. That lifted my spirits a little. I seldom eat before a race cos I have gut issues if I do but I knew I'd be out on the race route for quite a while, so I wolfed down a simple ham sandwich, a little isotonic drink and was down and headed to the race start location by 4.30am.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNikbobjHOzvMaFjxRas_bmzDR0wJVfbvsWpwBHgwGzuqK3buKx4o4dkudEFefEeQiijF6Z_7axE6LEm1uA5E1F9lfiNo2P0lTSppYj6vt3ndH-TwikQuYw7FRab2yQFr7gTF-lI4vSbFPG5C9yvUB3dbWwYGleMfAqHYFe_7wGCKcG4Eb5JKGwbRDjA/s2160/IMG_20220702_185134_813.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1799" data-original-width="2160" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNikbobjHOzvMaFjxRas_bmzDR0wJVfbvsWpwBHgwGzuqK3buKx4o4dkudEFefEeQiijF6Z_7axE6LEm1uA5E1F9lfiNo2P0lTSppYj6vt3ndH-TwikQuYw7FRab2yQFr7gTF-lI4vSbFPG5C9yvUB3dbWwYGleMfAqHYFe_7wGCKcG4Eb5JKGwbRDjA/w640-h534/IMG_20220702_185134_813.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the crew at the pre-race dinner</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">The place was already bustling with runners enjoying the good turn of the weather. I foresaw a lot of PR's from them judging by the confidence on their faces. Hung around the baggage area, warming up as best as I could, ditched the bag at the baggage section and headed out to my pen, which was pen D as I knew it was going to be a slow start for me.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The weather was great, clear skies but still cold with a slight gust of wind. Not such a big deal, at least it wasn't a wet race. I was as ready as I could possibly be to take this on. The race flagged off on the dot at 6am, which was the first time the marathon was being flagged off at 6am instead of its traditional time of 7.20am. Since I was way at the back, it was basically a walk till the start gantry which took me close to 9 minutes to get past.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Once past the start gantry, the running finally began. I took off at a very easy and conservative pace, after all, my goal was just to finish before the cut off, speed wasn't anywhere near the agenda. While it was great racing weather, my body wasn't really warming up fast enough and I knew I had to keep going until the sun peeked out, hopefully. My legs were no where near rested. The aches and pains of the previous day was lingering around reminding me of the insanity of this attempt.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu76S-iBfAZpRt-OwYjz5AwIvQwI-exvxsrk6buqsxKR2QPfKUdJsHRb-VfLjYZw2rz4X-d4CLXgLTTY3R_n_FIbmjbAJG5rPP-T2isPUBc6DVSFvtjk2zlZ0vXzt2c60DfQQkl0UBkMhYjmgxRdhuQH78YTceHwpgUAHw9E7WSoC4c_zAHzqQ2qiaHA/s3648/LXCG6281-original.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="2432" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu76S-iBfAZpRt-OwYjz5AwIvQwI-exvxsrk6buqsxKR2QPfKUdJsHRb-VfLjYZw2rz4X-d4CLXgLTTY3R_n_FIbmjbAJG5rPP-T2isPUBc6DVSFvtjk2zlZ0vXzt2c60DfQQkl0UBkMhYjmgxRdhuQH78YTceHwpgUAHw9E7WSoC4c_zAHzqQ2qiaHA/w426-h640/LXCG6281-original.jpeg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">I had already decided on a run as long as I could and walk as little as I can race strategy, I was being honest with my capabilities at this point. The crowd along the way, even at this early in the morning was fantastic. Their cheering kept me going, even though I was at the very back of the field. Soon, the 6 hour pacers caught up with me. Crap, that was fast, I thought. I stayed with them for a bit but the cold was still getting to me. With my run/walk strategy, they pulled off ahead. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Still I kept on going knowing full well, that I would be seeing the 6:40 sweepers pretty soon at the speed I was going. And true enough, not long later, the blue balloons approached me. This was it, I had to keep pace with them or I would never make it to the finish in time. When I saw one of the sweepers, I was ecstatic, it was Digger <i>(Bruce Hargreaves)</i>, my very first Gold Coast marathon pacer, way back in 2014 when it was known as the Gold Coast Airport Marathon. The man brought me in to my first ever marathon PR back then and I knew I was in capable hands. If anyone was going to get me through this, it was Digger!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I stuck with him and when he learned of my double attempt, he told me to just take the cue off him and I'll be fine. He was on a short 150-200m run/200m walk strategy and it suited me just fine. I even managed to recover a little. We kept going with him regaling us <i>(another runner was also pacing with him)</i> on his exploits, which were not just entertaining but kept the mind off the pain and the daunting task ahead.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfpxGW_IPlelKvkA9LfnIGUqieoNHEG2DXXuAITJ0bFR5hWRpFClxFEm0J7o84xhotyQe2k9e-SrSVMEwYcansTSmQMMF0slTpeOwHhVsTChN37KWRMPFa9x4MRNZqPcOSEwkMaE3vTtLBM-tpHqkJE9OdL6yh3jJgbMAvh7Le_b4cVhjl4FPT5-jrw/s3648/LXCG6335-original.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="2432" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfpxGW_IPlelKvkA9LfnIGUqieoNHEG2DXXuAITJ0bFR5hWRpFClxFEm0J7o84xhotyQe2k9e-SrSVMEwYcansTSmQMMF0slTpeOwHhVsTChN37KWRMPFa9x4MRNZqPcOSEwkMaE3vTtLBM-tpHqkJE9OdL6yh3jJgbMAvh7Le_b4cVhjl4FPT5-jrw/w426-h640/LXCG6335-original.jpeg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Are we there yet?</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">It was actually beginning to lift my spirits a little. By then, most of the faster field were already running past and I saw many familiar faces, some with a surprised look at seeing me pacing with the sweepers. Hey, that was all I had in me! Somewhere along the 13 to 14km mark, the sun came out. I was never this happy to see the sun as I was in my entire life. I felt rejuvenated. I told Digger I was going to take a potty break and I would like to give this a good try after that and he told me to go for it. A quick toilet stop, and off I went, passing Digger with a thank you wave and went into a slightly faster paced run. I kept it conservative cos I wasn't about to be over confident, after all, it still was a long way to go. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">With the sun warming my body, I was making some good progress. I slowly caught up with many who had gone past me, shouting words of encouragement as I went by. I still needed to walk but at least I was running a lot more now and at a much faster pace than before. It was to be this way, up to the 31km mark just as I headed for the only uphill stretch of the entire race. I was already beat by this time but I had made up good time and with some calculations <i>(again using all my fingers and toes, bad at math and all that ... hahaha!)</i>, I knew I could somehow pull this off. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The crowd along the route was already out in full force by then and you could practically feel them carrying you along. <b>FANTASTIC</b>, to say the least! Just after passing the start point, it was basically a huge struggle to get through this mental 10km stretch but I wasn't too concerned. I had clawed back lots of time and as long as I kept to my calculated pace, I knew I would pull this off. That kept me trudging along. It was mind numbing to say the least as I pushed and pushed with every kilometer of road.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhQ5xP-7HBHbmvgj2O70Qp5ZHoohAWhQE13SCGGoDjKThmdPS7A16wSrDLdfQDGuwa98incCaQpc9ASHTDDbLbk2gRySn1AtMBdXzZT3NdoqONxbKyjpiCpXVdDuQljQRWhI1k-LL7TZjizijKE8OEFXszrvvwSkf7_ggK1kYexWf81Y7qFcAZTh2pw/s3840/LXBX7622-original.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="2560" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhQ5xP-7HBHbmvgj2O70Qp5ZHoohAWhQE13SCGGoDjKThmdPS7A16wSrDLdfQDGuwa98incCaQpc9ASHTDDbLbk2gRySn1AtMBdXzZT3NdoqONxbKyjpiCpXVdDuQljQRWhI1k-LL7TZjizijKE8OEFXszrvvwSkf7_ggK1kYexWf81Y7qFcAZTh2pw/w426-h640/LXBX7622-original.jpeg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pain or no pain, you grit your teeth and keep going!</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">But by the 40km mark, my legs were rebelling, it was harder to keep one foot ahead of me. The pain was mind numbing and I did the best I could to try to run but I just couldn't do it anymore. With some rough mental calculations, I figured out that even if I walked the entire last 2km, which I actually did, I would still make it within the 5:30 finish which was way better than what I had anticipated! </p><p style="text-align: justify;">With that thought in mind, I went into a power walk routine, well to me it was a power walk, but I'm sure to the spectators I must have looked like a penguin limping along ... hahaha! Then the famous McDonalds sign ahead made an appearance and I knew it was just a little over a kilometer to go. This section was beyond my expectations. The crowd here were more than fantastic that I felt all I had to do was stop and they'd carry me to the finish. They were incredible. They kept urging me to keep going so much so that I tried to run but was unable to. A walk to the finish it would be. I even managed to stop for a minute at the Gold Coast Run Nuts tent to chat with Anthony <i>(our man behind the scene) </i>for a bit since I had lots of time in the bag.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Soon enough the final 250m left turn came into view and I felt like a star at this point hearing my name being called out left, right and centre to just keep going and that it was just a few short metres away. When I saw the finish gantry ahead, I was ecstatic, I had almost done it. I was walking at this point but when I saw the two photographers positioned just before the finish, pain or no pain, I just had to run. You <b>ALWAYS</b> run for the photographers ... hahaha!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6n8tJx4x2vdRqdFNFEcgdRvAJi7WZAIlJ96uwwvmP2CjArGqHp3JsOCu4LQpxz8AK_UO0Q-FatJexIXt9LQ_3BJEWu28CP0Z8UYumGNfkptEHse7ZneIJv1dErj4iVh7ZuHt5asviF3rg6QRwa6gbaofiGSar3gnNf4MPWjRLt1xZsN_3m9jIQK3JQ/s2736/YYYY16276-original.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="2736" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6n8tJx4x2vdRqdFNFEcgdRvAJi7WZAIlJ96uwwvmP2CjArGqHp3JsOCu4LQpxz8AK_UO0Q-FatJexIXt9LQ_3BJEWu28CP0Z8UYumGNfkptEHse7ZneIJv1dErj4iVh7ZuHt5asviF3rg6QRwa6gbaofiGSar3gnNf4MPWjRLt1xZsN_3m9jIQK3JQ/w640-h426/YYYY16276-original.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Level Unlocked!</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">And finally, after 5:23 <i>(gun time)</i> minutes of self doubt, pain and suffering, I had completed the <b>63.3km Double</b> and I won't deny I had tears in my eyes <i>(good thing for sunglasses ... hahaha!)</i>. I ambled along to get my finisher entitlement and that <i>(as my wife calls it)</i> big assed 63.3km medal and savoured the achievement. I had finally done it. All those doubts, fears and conflicts were finally put to rest. After the two years the world has had, this was indeed a redeeming achievement for me. </p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The first thing I did after collecting my stuff was to text the wife and tell her I made it. She was even more surprised that I pulled it off way before my expected time. She was happy for me all the same cos she wasn't expecting to hear from me so soon. I told her I'd bring home 3 medals and here it was. The crew had already left when I finished so I made my way back to the hotel to get some rest and meet them for a celebratory lunch. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQFVM0-FeE1c8rdIkeeW2tJfazGMUg0SaMfvbFG12tNj3h8c_qnQ7htDPep1f0PgnhlkmaTT8j2FwZdDJe2cPsb_bNmZaQXQ7BvWDUccXMtVm36oCcGD0VsY_EKJrjiVUMYDbtI216SrpGcAnTeEDiCJk-icqGStHW_VIo3XyyThnPyll41P_N27qPg/s1423/Screenshot_20220703-121134.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1423" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQFVM0-FeE1c8rdIkeeW2tJfazGMUg0SaMfvbFG12tNj3h8c_qnQ7htDPep1f0PgnhlkmaTT8j2FwZdDJe2cPsb_bNmZaQXQ7BvWDUccXMtVm36oCcGD0VsY_EKJrjiVUMYDbtI216SrpGcAnTeEDiCJk-icqGStHW_VIo3XyyThnPyll41P_N27qPg/w486-h640/Screenshot_20220703-121134.jpg" width="486" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An honour to get a picture with the medal designer herself, Lisa Sorbie</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">The fact that this entire trip was always in the balance and the personal trials and tribulations I had to go through the months leading up to this made this all the more sweeter. Would I do this again? Not in a million years, this was a one time thing and I'm hoping to see more of my fellow Malaysians attempt this. Please don't let me go down the history books as the only insane Malaysian to do this ... hahaha!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But this milestone challenge for me would not have been possible without the tremendous hospitality and support given by Events Management Queensland and Tourism Queensland all these years. This is something that I will forever be grateful for and no matter how many 63.3km double races I run will ever be enough to express my thanks! </p><p style="text-align: justify;">And to my ever suffering <i>(whenever I get into a training phase)</i> wife, your support, trust and confidence in me something that means more to me than these medals. I can be an absolute motherf***ing pain when I'm in training but you've always put up with it and for that, I'm truly blessed, something which I will make up to her. Looking forward to running together with you for #GCM23. Till then, thanks for the memories, Gold Coast! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZNVM2cArZ2xFcn28enOTwceoGb6yRm72US1UBYSaN8Pa1tSRdP-XRf_fJavkvdQJtjdk1niC7DGNecw7DB88vIiV5p1bMhKY9EO57eVARJ2w8LkMXgB86nhZ8NI8BoQNsqiS78VbiHVZyduUbvZtU26bwQXyU3vzaB-gKwMtANYA0NMYcSWKCxSHpA/s4608/IMG_20220703_124105.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZNVM2cArZ2xFcn28enOTwceoGb6yRm72US1UBYSaN8Pa1tSRdP-XRf_fJavkvdQJtjdk1niC7DGNecw7DB88vIiV5p1bMhKY9EO57eVARJ2w8LkMXgB86nhZ8NI8BoQNsqiS78VbiHVZyduUbvZtU26bwQXyU3vzaB-gKwMtANYA0NMYcSWKCxSHpA/w480-h640/IMG_20220703_124105.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gang all finally together!</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-89555376447772900262022-07-10T13:49:00.001+08:002022-07-10T14:05:48.628+08:00Gold Coast Marathon 2022: Double The Fun, Twice The Pain: Recap - Race Day 1, The Asics Half Marathon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkIHd-NHcG-_c14_TXYxSb6nyRBXgA8IVzjE2pYeRGD8s3e1Q6zeXCArsTEvED5loqJt38dBNEO4yN7faNYwq8_0Y8XXQc15ehypDZOj504eGw8s7II2gJFjFB_SQHjIusIpojNb0HHLHw4nWmBGu--EiWtCkNrQrIUERKr07hGjmJZY3l9XMmu9ZNg/s2736/XXXX10634-original.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="2736" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkIHd-NHcG-_c14_TXYxSb6nyRBXgA8IVzjE2pYeRGD8s3e1Q6zeXCArsTEvED5loqJt38dBNEO4yN7faNYwq8_0Y8XXQc15ehypDZOj504eGw8s7II2gJFjFB_SQHjIusIpojNb0HHLHw4nWmBGu--EiWtCkNrQrIUERKr07hGjmJZY3l9XMmu9ZNg/w640-h426/XXXX10634-original.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">After a two year break because of the worldwide pandemic, I was finally back in my second home for the <b>Gold Coast Marathon 2022</b>. It's been way too long but the journey of getting here was full of trials and tribulations.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">With the pandemic sorta easing and things around the world beginning to wake up again, I was practically excited when the Gold Coast was once again open to foreigners, that meant I could sign up to run my annual running pilgrimage again. This will be my 7th year of running it and I wasn't going to miss out after the last two years of non starting.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Initially I wanted to just run the marathon, not to break any new PR's, I really wasn't ready for that but my wife suggested that I instead try for <b>63.3km Gold Coast Double</b>, which was running the half marathon on Saturday and the marathon on Sunday. I was really hesitant at first, I mean, come on, how does one even train for that and the toll it would take on the legs for two consecutive days could not be predicted. Yes, I've run ultra-marathons before but this is far from that!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdM8iXZLo97vZb-nYCnwoWthUGIhIJGP5UXwG8iIk0PH-flDxcVZbmVzq1-42H4JjBITBBrfv06P0sTdrHPKSrZcV_BYUZtuJZuLyw525k9BBCHdOOGbDjhlSVuHsx1BQU9otyaoefNFs2qcSX2LECYDucwtvmMZaib48gGjF9bF3fUVu2qCHMEJWZ6g/s4209/IMG_20220701_151105__01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4209" data-original-width="3229" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdM8iXZLo97vZb-nYCnwoWthUGIhIJGP5UXwG8iIk0PH-flDxcVZbmVzq1-42H4JjBITBBrfv06P0sTdrHPKSrZcV_BYUZtuJZuLyw525k9BBCHdOOGbDjhlSVuHsx1BQU9otyaoefNFs2qcSX2LECYDucwtvmMZaib48gGjF9bF3fUVu2qCHMEJWZ6g/w490-h640/IMG_20220701_151105__01.jpg" width="490" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">But in the end I said, why not, after the two years the world has had, this would be a nice redeeming attempt, monumental even <i>(at least for me)</i> even if I had to go thru some suffering getting there. So, a custom made training plan was drawn up. Nothing fancy but something that needed to get my legs used to running those extra miles. The plan was nice and smooth and for once, I managed to keep it such that I didn't pick up any last minute training injuries which I'm known for. After all, the plan was basically just to survive both the races.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, with that out of the way, it was time to get things prepared for the trip. This is where the stress really began. To be blunt, the Visa application was really the main culprit. With lots of tales about the process taking a long time unlike the instantaneous approvals of years gone by, I decided to apply real early and was hopeful things would be good. But I was devastated when my application was rejected over reasons <i>(ridiculous in my opinion)</i> which I shall not even bother to discuss here. Suffice to say, I was gutted. I was already halfway into my training and this wasn't just a spanner in the works, it was the entire complement of tools thrown into the works!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The prospects of missing out was very high, I resubmitted my application with a lot more documents this time around. Heck, if this didn't get my Visa approved, that was that! I wouldn't be going. Another long uncertain wait and with the days counting down, I was beginning to fret. But the training had to be kept going. Surprisingly 2 weeks out from race day, I finally got an email for my Visa approval. I was ecstatic! It was on. Now I started fretting about the double attempt itself. No excuse out of it now.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">With the vaccination documents, DPD declaration, flight and accommodations all sorted out, all I had to do was wait. It was still nerve wracking cos my usual GCM Team MY team-mate, Jamie was still waiting for his approval. From the 5 of us, he was the last one still waiting and I was worried for him. But the Visa Gods finally relented and he got his approval a few days out from race day! With that, there would be 6 of us on the flight to the Gold Coast. Sadly, it was a small crew heading out as many weren't successful with their Visas.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We took Scoot out to Singapore before flying to the Gold Coast. It was a long journey from the time I left the house, almost 15 plus hours later before I set foot on the Gold Coast again. It was good to finally be able to travel and the weather was pretty good upon our arrival, which bode well for race morning in 2 days. I won't really bore you with the nitty gritty of the trip, after all, this is a race review anyway.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh628-pshBnEoyvQbgLBkghLFzH2Br_tupTmo19u4GqZHyqpaJyz2EWiitg4Tm5fl5wk6rE40YzxARJdOTHWlaOLRMj0ZBjQl0n6yPyGvlrBOP9EB8vAZmpfBobr4rQ0CTgJOAr80VMe1E9wPW4a9Um3jZ1PQGcTyAPAEpcL7pEgEb2KZ3L9KSLTUZJnQ/s4096/IMG_20220630_103857_382.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh628-pshBnEoyvQbgLBkghLFzH2Br_tupTmo19u4GqZHyqpaJyz2EWiitg4Tm5fl5wk6rE40YzxARJdOTHWlaOLRMj0ZBjQl0n6yPyGvlrBOP9EB8vAZmpfBobr4rQ0CTgJOAr80VMe1E9wPW4a9Um3jZ1PQGcTyAPAEpcL7pEgEb2KZ3L9KSLTUZJnQ/w640-h480/IMG_20220630_103857_382.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">For what the Gold Coast has to offer, just browse through my previous years postings purely on the things you can do, and it's a hell of a lot, mind you and also some hidden gems the wife and me discovered. Sadly, she wasn't with me this year as she wasn't prepared to go through the Visa hell I went through but we're already planning for next year, though that is a story on its own.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Jamie and me put up at Novotel Hotel, smack in the centre of Surfer's Paradise and the rest of the crew got a nice apartment fronting the beach, not too far from us. We made plans to meet up at the race expo later in the day to pick up our race kits and have dinner. Went thru my usual antics around the expo, bought my usual Asics event tee, something I do every year.Once we were done, we headed for an early dinner and called it a day. It was after all a long, long day of travelling.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNL6QGOhlDYipMD22pukGJwVQG88FBfG8ARqz79GBGW6nZgJcQfnAOwZVoL5E90jSYcpXet0341xCV86Cy0oMhaPaLi15nY4bsl3DVlqEDDSvq2jdgygJ3DMohPQZn4W8exV4H43NFtd48HcGYg9LnhOkTHWP3ngO7PQFtMjYtg-QKo43YDbXFykPaw/s2008/IMG_20220630_161536_818.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2008" data-original-width="2008" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNL6QGOhlDYipMD22pukGJwVQG88FBfG8ARqz79GBGW6nZgJcQfnAOwZVoL5E90jSYcpXet0341xCV86Cy0oMhaPaLi15nY4bsl3DVlqEDDSvq2jdgygJ3DMohPQZn4W8exV4H43NFtd48HcGYg9LnhOkTHWP3ngO7PQFtMjYtg-QKo43YDbXFykPaw/w640-h640/IMG_20220630_161536_818.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">My hopes for a dry race day was dashed when I woke up the next morning to drizzle. Decided to still lace up and go for a short loosening of the legs as I hadn't run at all the week prior to arrival. Besides I needed my vain shots ... hahaha! Couldn't really do much cos the drizzle got heavier and the wind that came with it, made being outside very miserable, so headed back to the hotel for breakfast after which Jamie and me decided to head to the Elite press conference held at a nearby hotel. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">These press conferences are always great. It's not always you get to mingle with the likes of Stephanie Bruce, Jess Trengove, Yuki Kawauchi, Lindsay Flanagan, Jo Fukuda, to name a few, close up. Took the opportunity to take pictures and chat with them and headed back to meet the rest of the gang for lunch and then stay off my feet as much as I could. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3MQWl1Y2qkvK5gfDeF7NiIZBcO8WzLchq4ZYvZ2C8PcPVETvzcSkmtvlXkscOedPQfz_VSvAoMpgWbT1wVk1TXKpxfrAmCS62e0BM-ChofNo-d5TapewYghPBJkyFzGyev-rQHy17zIrPNiJVb-2aF-4WCwNZx-wHNIuD5DIPCCrrJfDQLMA7Jx_vw/s960/IMG_20220701_112709.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="701" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3MQWl1Y2qkvK5gfDeF7NiIZBcO8WzLchq4ZYvZ2C8PcPVETvzcSkmtvlXkscOedPQfz_VSvAoMpgWbT1wVk1TXKpxfrAmCS62e0BM-ChofNo-d5TapewYghPBJkyFzGyev-rQHy17zIrPNiJVb-2aF-4WCwNZx-wHNIuD5DIPCCrrJfDQLMA7Jx_vw/w468-h640/IMG_20220701_112709.png" width="468" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">It was to be an early night for me since I had a 3.00am wake up call to head to the race start for my half marathon. As expected it was not to be a dry race cos it was already raining the moment I woke up. Got dressed, prepped for the race, sent the wife a text to calm my nerves <i>(cos I know she'll always have some wise words of wisdom for me)</i> and went down to get the complimentary shuttle provided by Tourism and Events, Queensland <i>(TEQ)</i> and headed to the Broadwater Parklands. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggG3iAn-9vEmfoYkT_9SzGIdrKIeVouEXYoyqbseN339VVVdwCbZf-7o4ch_53-CRzTKCyONz9-jnOEYP3-OkQ-6p5QYcaeT4bxoWKwJuFWpEF22jS7vyC8eL1h5B9VD9jU7n-B-P3vGyZJZ3lshRoz-gUxHsIHNepsmiLylUlIadDEpr7cXL_AMbSFA/s1239/IMG_20220702_170742_350.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1239" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggG3iAn-9vEmfoYkT_9SzGIdrKIeVouEXYoyqbseN339VVVdwCbZf-7o4ch_53-CRzTKCyONz9-jnOEYP3-OkQ-6p5QYcaeT4bxoWKwJuFWpEF22jS7vyC8eL1h5B9VD9jU7n-B-P3vGyZJZ3lshRoz-gUxHsIHNepsmiLylUlIadDEpr7cXL_AMbSFA/w558-h640/IMG_20220702_170742_350.jpg" width="558" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">From my previous wet start in 2019, I knew things were going to be tough, cold and miserable if the rain kept up. We hung around the staging area to keep warm while waiting for race start. The race flagged off spot on time at 6am and it was still drizzling. I found it incredibly hard to warm up the body and the long 500m walk <i>(cos of the sheer number of participants)</i> to cross the start didn't help matters. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Once I crossed the start line, it was off to a slow trudge to get the blood flowing and get some heat into the body. I was dressed very conservatively but it was still freezing. I knew it was going to be a tough race but didn't know how tough yet. At 6am, the support from the crowd was fantastic, considering it was raining, people were still out cheering everyone along. This is something I love about racing in the Gold Coast, the <b>FANTASTIC</b> crowd support.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Jkz0KIEO3hweDtU35uqHeSrwR9q2F4Ywh5D22OuaJ7NHDiLtpRAtCdb24GG9ROCFOJHM54PQNLfTnSvh5ZytQWiUXkvrZQgK8nh6vEmOusAPXXs-aGkIpzCYvPAfBlYt-mjLYpP3OoUd5oUIIhiEiBqTc54i-1klxN-g6Ov4ojpK89vhQBZjfI66pg/s791/1657426991877.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Jkz0KIEO3hweDtU35uqHeSrwR9q2F4Ywh5D22OuaJ7NHDiLtpRAtCdb24GG9ROCFOJHM54PQNLfTnSvh5ZytQWiUXkvrZQgK8nh6vEmOusAPXXs-aGkIpzCYvPAfBlYt-mjLYpP3OoUd5oUIIhiEiBqTc54i-1klxN-g6Ov4ojpK89vhQBZjfI66pg/w582-h640/1657426991877.png" width="582" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">So off I went into the cold awakening morning. I was able to keep to a nice, real slow pace at first. I wasn't really interested in speed nor how fast I would go cos I had another 42km of this the very next day and wanted to keep the legs as fresh as I could. But it was not meant to be. The chilling cold from the drizzle and wind practically crippled me to a crawl. My legs simply seized up completely! I've never felt my legs seize up like this in my years of running, here or anywhere else and I've ran in colder climates like Seoul and Kyoto. From whatever running I could muster went down to just walking briskly. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I was devastated, afraid I couldn't make the cut off which was very generous to begin with. I started doing mad calculations in my head <i>(I'm not too good with math so some fingers and toes were used as well ... hahaha!</i>) on how fast a walk pace I would need to do to make the cut off. After calculating I went on an 8 minute plus walk pace. I couldn't muster anymore to start running which was ridiculous really cos I can pull of a 5:02 pace to finish my virtual half back home in 1:46 and here I was grateful to be doing a 8 plus walk pace! Such a disappointment. No excuses for this, it boils down to lousy training. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">But I kept going. I said to myself even if I had to crawl in last, I would <b>NOT</b> stop! The rain didn't let up. It was on and off. Hitting the 15km mark, one of the marshals came to me and said, if you run past this 15km marker, I'll let you through cos you're a few seconds off the cutoff here. I was shocked that I was lagging behind. So, I ran and as I ran pass, she shouted, you have 7 mins to the next marker before cut off. The stare I gave her could have frozen Lucifer himself .. hahaha! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKVCtLT6TNhc5zsQFP575xm0CYfVOPjJLV-M944SaJ2Ln4BrWZwNdyazLvAZhIG1Uc-bIamjCVFy0Q0ZHMlzLnj-1z3OZrQ0zjOZwNijeRfcfeGoxKUIaFMLM3lzuvLkUKyKai99guTYf4HefNw6Zv2SQItz-FGfe0AKAOQOhfD6X4zZfQnnTFh30tA/s3648/LIBX0782-original%20(1).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="2432" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKVCtLT6TNhc5zsQFP575xm0CYfVOPjJLV-M944SaJ2Ln4BrWZwNdyazLvAZhIG1Uc-bIamjCVFy0Q0ZHMlzLnj-1z3OZrQ0zjOZwNijeRfcfeGoxKUIaFMLM3lzuvLkUKyKai99guTYf4HefNw6Zv2SQItz-FGfe0AKAOQOhfD6X4zZfQnnTFh30tA/w426-h640/LIBX0782-original%20(1).jpeg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfIrQM8MrNT9x5jOdbMcqs3zKu7Ue9Q7LAY_Z3d1fnwsZVRylG9si4HCam4W_8K3vk2dxRNwjui_MiCew1bsOV8p2ZXQYgLaIaXL3aQKecLlWlx2KeE65_RD1UYzanBWZQrQFg4O4pVI7h7hbQ6YCLv3bd0vpPNsOB_TVutwGl3RqLS-hxUpLyrFyXQ/s3648/LIBX9644-original.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2432" data-original-width="3648" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfIrQM8MrNT9x5jOdbMcqs3zKu7Ue9Q7LAY_Z3d1fnwsZVRylG9si4HCam4W_8K3vk2dxRNwjui_MiCew1bsOV8p2ZXQYgLaIaXL3aQKecLlWlx2KeE65_RD1UYzanBWZQrQFg4O4pVI7h7hbQ6YCLv3bd0vpPNsOB_TVutwGl3RqLS-hxUpLyrFyXQ/w640-h426/LIBX9644-original.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">But with that warning I kept running as far and as long as I could to make that 7 minutes cutoff which I succeeded. At least the crew manning this marker was more helpful and told me I had 3 extra minutes in the bag. Whoa, I pulled back some minutes. Suffice to say the last 5km was hell on earth for me, trying to finish before the official cutoff. The crowd along this stretch was as always phenomenal. They kept urging, cheering, screaming and shouting at me to keep going but I couldn't put their enthusiasm to good use, I was practically moving on momentum by then. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Soon enough, the welcoming sight of that last 250m left turn came into view and with every ounce of energy I could muster, I switched into a slow stride until I crossed the finish with 7 minutes, yes 7 whole minutes before the cut-off which put me somewhere around 3 hours 23 minutes for the <b>Asics Half Marathon</b>, not something I'm very proud of but I did it, I achieved one of two feats putting me in contention for the next. Now that would be the main attraction for me but I'd have to do some crazy strategy change later in the day when I get back to the hotel.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglV9zfnbZLW4kRby2zYlSdPFSwTPCxIU4yoSyl_WSd7lxS4TS1UfWmYtg9ZZ_PW0Ol7p-0w3XvZkkYI6u7Kkpi8anZmbBRia34VUoW2118vl0RadbT9aOrMxyWd1f3_oL1W9OXdfTOlR746C7TeM1L-SpfDauVWH-5re1GAsRUKXqWetKUoBVUBn70Jw/s3456/LIBZ1326-original.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="2304" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglV9zfnbZLW4kRby2zYlSdPFSwTPCxIU4yoSyl_WSd7lxS4TS1UfWmYtg9ZZ_PW0Ol7p-0w3XvZkkYI6u7Kkpi8anZmbBRia34VUoW2118vl0RadbT9aOrMxyWd1f3_oL1W9OXdfTOlR746C7TeM1L-SpfDauVWH-5re1GAsRUKXqWetKUoBVUBn70Jw/w426-h640/LIBZ1326-original.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">A big thank you to Jamie and Cheong for braving the rain to lend some support and for waiting for me to finish even though Jamie was on the verge of speed dialing my wife to ask her where I was ... hahaha! The journey back to the hotel was painfully slow and all throughout the tram ride back, my mind was how the heck I was going to pull off tomorrow's marathon. I was already in so much pain at the moment. I needed to recover and I needed to do it fast. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I won't lie, thoughts of not starting were already swirling through my head. My legs were a mess, my confidence shattered, my entire being was in shambles. If today was hard, tomorrow seemed near impossible to achieve. But then, I didn't want to disappoint the one person who put her trust in me that I could pull this off, my wife. All through training, she never once doubted I would find it in me to get through this. So, I put all the uncertainties aside and let tomorrow unravel itself on its own. Whatever tomorrow throws at me, I'll face it head on. After all, to quote my wife. <b>BRING IT ON!</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">For today, I'm just going to enjoy getting through Race 1. My thoughts on Race 2 in the next upcoming post. Don't want to bore you with two long postings at one go :)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9nvk9K6FqG0Y6Dyb-E248JQH8LqTnXhxCmKDci2uIO9ww8L5SGWHlwCp-oam6R1cG7KQAibvTUAihp0Y88P4MjvDB1brsdg7qt-YHEkVoYC9mo9d6BQWIC7xEh0GQjh5cms894zVXuOgayJucgNkqzkNjOOQd4ROnQa9AQdNWtYTuZlWW4TWh7uhbQ/s1392/Screenshot_20220702-115401%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1392" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9nvk9K6FqG0Y6Dyb-E248JQH8LqTnXhxCmKDci2uIO9ww8L5SGWHlwCp-oam6R1cG7KQAibvTUAihp0Y88P4MjvDB1brsdg7qt-YHEkVoYC9mo9d6BQWIC7xEh0GQjh5cms894zVXuOgayJucgNkqzkNjOOQd4ROnQa9AQdNWtYTuZlWW4TWh7uhbQ/w496-h640/Screenshot_20220702-115401%20(1).jpg" width="496" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-12546185531588946092022-07-07T22:29:00.001+08:002022-07-07T22:29:57.269+08:00PRESS RELEASE ASICS TAKES PRODUCT PERSONALISATION TO NEXT LEVEL – LAUNCHING THE EVOLVED METASPEED™ + SERIES OPTIMISED TO CONTINUE QUEST TO UNLOCK FASTEST EVER TIMES <div style="text-align: justify;"><b>[7 July 2022 – Kuala Lumpur]</b> – ASICS is today announcing the latest updates to its record breaking METASPEED™ series as they take the performance of their product personalization to the next level.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Building on the breakthrough success of the first METASPEED™ shoes introduced in 2021, ASICS has utilized data accumulated through its elite athletes in competition to refine the product design to cater for the two major running styles allowing every runner to perform at their personal best and record their fastest times yet. Introducing the METASPEED™ EDGE+ and the METASPEED™ SKY+ shoes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIi2t47fAMrrxgMNC7CuObz4ZTU0aNz9m2GgLdU54aw1mXDkCf-b0fsG9Q5x-L5mJ1JHMVzx4Wl8Svjw7IA-viMm12fMcWKOHHe4pFKWLQ6oYBFxdPm1z-i-rxW7M5hjiKaOock_SRDeFQWuXgbsGs891tTpLLlEROe1JfUWsmm4ReXCugHtornV3TAQ/s3507/ASICS%20Metaspeed%20Sky%20&%20Edge+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2480" data-original-width="3507" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIi2t47fAMrrxgMNC7CuObz4ZTU0aNz9m2GgLdU54aw1mXDkCf-b0fsG9Q5x-L5mJ1JHMVzx4Wl8Svjw7IA-viMm12fMcWKOHHe4pFKWLQ6oYBFxdPm1z-i-rxW7M5hjiKaOock_SRDeFQWuXgbsGs891tTpLLlEROe1JfUWsmm4ReXCugHtornV3TAQ/w640-h452/ASICS%20Metaspeed%20Sky%20&%20Edge+.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>METASPEED™ + SERIES – ATHLETE INSIGHT TAKES PERSONALIZATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since its launch, METASPEED™ shoes have has helped elite runners win medals at international competitions, including gold medals at both men’s and women’s triathlon at Tokyo2020, and achieved over 200 Personal Bests, and counting.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The unique design of the METASPEED™ SKY+ model for stride runners and the METASPEED™ EDGE+ model for those with a cadence style continues to center on a crucial insight by scientists at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science (ISS): Athletes perform better when running in shoes that are optimized for their running style. Therefore, ASICS has again created two models so everyone will have the opportunity to run faster</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Both models now feature increased volumes of the FF BLAST™ TURBO foam and more targeted placement of the product’s carbon plates to ensure that runners can increase their stride length and build increased speed in a way that is natural to their running style.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The sports scientists at the ISS were able to measure that these product advancements provided elite athletes with shoes more suited to the two major running styles and as a result this improved performance. Initial tests already showed that the METASPEED™ SKY+ and EDGE+ increased the running economy by more than 2% compared to ASICS’ traditional racing models1, giving all runners the opportunity to run their fastest times yet.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>METASPEED™ SKY+</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The METASPEED™ SKY+ racing shoe is designed to help runners go faster by extending their stride length considerably. Thanks to an energetic FF BLAST TURBO foam and a propulsive carbon plate precisely placed to gain more bounce-back, runners wearing these shoes can conserve more energy while maintaining their pace at the later stages of the race.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">METASPEED™ SKY+ shoe is available from 6 July 2022.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4NREuDtBkmlsyTlom4jTvh0IesmPGi3EgmxPIYlAQe1iRU8Ysb01703ASGkQ8RNAkwub9BK6jpn40ba0l3a3-2cdqQRNV7Q4KnW7_IMDZQHyCBI-JJEYlLeIoc5cfS9_HE9gX-e6XyKARFw2m3AIaochfoabc68SW0DyxeV_P0h9jFSzCdfsoyLNiQ/s3507/ASICS%20Metaspeed%20Edge+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2480" data-original-width="3507" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4NREuDtBkmlsyTlom4jTvh0IesmPGi3EgmxPIYlAQe1iRU8Ysb01703ASGkQ8RNAkwub9BK6jpn40ba0l3a3-2cdqQRNV7Q4KnW7_IMDZQHyCBI-JJEYlLeIoc5cfS9_HE9gX-e6XyKARFw2m3AIaochfoabc68SW0DyxeV_P0h9jFSzCdfsoyLNiQ/w640-h452/ASICS%20Metaspeed%20Edge+.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>METASPEED™ EDGE+</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The METASPEED™ EDGE+ racing shoe is designed to help cadence-type runners go faster by extending their stride length while allowing them to control cadence more easily. Runners wearing these shoes can experience a fast underfoot feel, thanks to the energetic midsole foam and a propulsive carbon plate appropriately placed for more efficient gait motion enabling them to elongate their stride and conserve energy while controlling their running tempo</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">METASPEED™ EDGE+ shoe is available from 6 July 2022.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The METASPEED™ + series has been developed and tested alongside some of the world’s top athletes. Eilish McColgan tested an early prototype at the 2022 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon and set a personal best and British record of one hour, six minutes and 26 seconds, improving the previous record by 21 seconds. Athletes such as Julien Wanders and Mekdes Woldu, have also achieved PBs wearing the prototypes and will be looking for further success at the META : Time : Trials.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>META : Time : Trials</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The METASPEED™ + models were unveiled at ASICS’ META : Time : Trials – a milestone event in the history of ASICS in Málaga, Spain. Inspired by the Tour de France time trials, the World Athletics certified META : Time : Trials challenged ASICS’ elite athletes to push each other to run their fastest ever times across a series of race distances. The event offered an optimal product proofing opportunity for the new models.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">President, CEO and COO, Representative Director of ASICS, Yasuhito Hirota said: “At ASICS we are driven by our founding principle: we want to help everyone achieve a sound mind in a sound body through sport. At the heart of this philosophy is an unwavering belief in the power of human-centric design to create products that deliver the perfect balance of peak performance and protection for every kind of athlete. This is highlighted by the METASPEED™ + where our access to a breadth of elite data and the success of our debut product in international competition has amplified our commitment to continued product development. As a result, we have taken product personalization to the next level to continue our quest to help athletes break more personal bests in 2022.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This year's META: Time : Trials and launch of the METASPEED™ + series reiterates our continued commitment to provide elite athletes with the platform to achieve their potential, while maintaining ASICS’ position as a pioneer of innovation in the running sector.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The METASPEED™ SKY+ and METASPEED™ + retails at RM999. Available at ASICS Official Stores and on ASICS.COM : <a href="https://www.asics.com/my/en-my/mk/metaspeed-plus">https://www.asics.com/my/en-my/mk/metaspeed-plus</a></div>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-61786783671564353612022-07-07T11:37:00.001+08:002022-07-07T11:37:20.239+08:00PRESS RELEASE: ASICS CELEBRATES OUR SOUTHEAST ASIAN ATHLETES AND AMBASSADORS WITH INSPIRING NEW FILMS THAT UPLIFT MINDS AND BODIES<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWMxuvdXvx4ofumFOAmFM7QaMxbnMUqwZ5KBwPN-DoeHdyUviq1SzN8NOfmgkAGAekAqSZGlox42_jC3vbrZhLOhUJ_NZVfKdHb7vt-2omsBRn7WPlnvSUz9z55XerwUqfY_sOK7mzp79JCE4OR3PRQkCewo1KTEOYRhPJhJWgCrWSEU5QgHMs_l0sA/s711/unnamed.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="711" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWMxuvdXvx4ofumFOAmFM7QaMxbnMUqwZ5KBwPN-DoeHdyUviq1SzN8NOfmgkAGAekAqSZGlox42_jC3vbrZhLOhUJ_NZVfKdHb7vt-2omsBRn7WPlnvSUz9z55XerwUqfY_sOK7mzp79JCE4OR3PRQkCewo1KTEOYRhPJhJWgCrWSEU5QgHMs_l0sA/w640-h386/unnamed.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>[5 July 2022 – KUALA LUMPUR]</b> There is huge untapped potential of a better world through movement. Firmly grounded in its founding ethos and mantra, “A Sound Mind in a Sound Body”, ASICS’ latest global brand campaign “#LiveUplifted” showcases the transcending impact of movement for both the body and mind.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier this year, the campaign kicked off with a powerful series of content featuring a group of diverse storytellers who utilized the power of running to bring people together and uplift their communities through sport. In these videos, inspiring souls across the globe share their personal stories on how movement positively shifts their outlooks and perspectives on life.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The driving force behind this campaign began with ASICS’ inaugural Global State of Mind Index in April 2022, which debunked the common perception that 30 minutes is the minimum amount of exercise required to experience the uplifting impact of movement. The brand’s new findings confirm that approximately 15 minutes and 9 seconds of movement is all it takes to feel mood-boosting effects.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In its continued journey to championing the benefits of sport and movement for our community, ASICS Asia Pte Ltd today launches new films featuring five of Southeast Asia’s most promising sporting personalities and celebrities, to unleash the power of movement in uplifting mind and body.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Conceptualised by Singapore-based creative agency Mill Stirling (Nofinerlife) and titled ‘Let Sport & Movement Uplift You’, this series of 60s and 30s regional brand films showcases what goes into the hearts and minds of persevering profiles as they champion the “Live Uplifted” philosophy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the films, Malaysia is represented by marathon runner Muhaizar Bin Mohamad, Philippines by national volleyball captain Abigail Maraño, Thailand by up-and-coming tennis sensation Kasidit Samrej, Vietnam by SEA Games swimming medalist turned triathlete Lam Quang Nhat, and Singapore by award-winning Mediacorp Artiste Chantalle Ng.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">These films explore how our state of mind affects our perception of the world. When we are down, the world may seem cluttered and unforgiving, but when we are healthy and uplifted, we view the world through a brighter, more positive lens.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As <b>Gabriel Yap, Regional Marketing Director of ASICS Asia Pte Ltd</b> explains, “At ASICS, we believe that the power of sport can generate an uplift, and movement transforms our mood and changes our outlook toward the world. With our Live Uplifted campaign, we hope to remind audiences that sport and movement goes beyond just a competition; it can inspire and transform you.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Over the course of the next few months, ASICS will continue to feature several South East Asia sporting and non-sporting personalities, diving deeper into what it means to “Live Uplifted”. An array of sporting products, apparel and accessories that allow sport to uplift you and truly embrace the movement will also be featured.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To view the film series, please click below:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">· Regional #LiveUplifted Brand Film</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">· <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD-ktQKjPRU">Muhaizar Bin Mohamad (Malaysia)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">· <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTV1N-TI5RQ">Abigail Maraño (Philippines)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">· <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA5Ezu_iOaU">Kasidit Samrej (Thailand)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">· <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALwj-qM2ObA">Lam Quang Nhat (Vietnam)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">· <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4SNwi3kKTc">Chantalle Ng (Singapore)</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To follow the campaign, please visit: <a href="https://www.asics.com/my/en-my/mk/live-uplifted">https://www.asics.com/my/en-my/mk/live-uplifted</a> and follow <b>#LIVEUPLIFTED</b> on social.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>ANNEX - #LiveUplifted Personalities</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>MUHAIZAR BIN MOHAMAD (MALAYSIA)</b> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">An army personnel by day, Muhaizar Mohamad is fondly recognised as one of Malaysia’s most talented and accomplished marathon runners. Since his foray into marathon running in 2013, Muhaizar has been a dominant force in the local running scene, representing the country across several internationally known competitions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a history-making win, he clinched Malaysia’s first marathon medal in 44 years at the 2017 SEA Games, and further defended his win at the subsequent 2019 games. Now 37, Muhaizar continues to show his love for the competitive sport with his latest appearance at the 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>ABIGAIL "ABY" PALMARES MARAÑO (THE PHILIPPINES)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Abigail Maraño is a national volleyball player representing the Philippines. A seasoned middle hitter for the sport, Abigail has been an active athlete for close to eight years and has always been highly regarded as a volleyball veteran locally.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Within her teams, Abigail values comradery and has served as a team captain for most of the teams she played on. She also displays her fervent love for the sport in the most tangible way on court – infecting her teammates with positive energy, celebrating wins animatedly and intimidating opponents with her perseverance. Abigail has led the team to the semi-finals in 2019 Philippines SEA Games and 2021 Vietnam SEA Games, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal on both occasions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>KASIDIT SAMREJ (THAILAND)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">National tennis champion who is currently Thailand’s #1 Men’s Single and #659 ATP, Kasidit Samrej, may be young but is a force to be reckoned with in the tennis scene.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Determined to be a winner and eventually make Top 10 at the Olympics, Kasidit engaged in rigorous training and made his debut at the Asian Games 2018. His first SEA Games was in the Philippines where he lost during the Quarter Finals due to injuries, however his resilience remained and he soon became a key player for Thailand, bringing home Gold for the Men’s team and achieving Bronze with Luksika Kumkhum for the Mixed Doubles.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>LAM QUANG NHAT (VIETNAM)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lam Quang Nhat began swimming from a tender age of 3. He became Vietnam’s youngest swimmer to win two gold medals at the SEA Games Men’s 1,500m freestyle event in 2013 and 2015. He also added a silver medal in the 2017 SEA Games.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Not long after, that transitioned from competitive swimming to becoming a triathlete in 2019. Experiencing both mental and physical challenges, Nhat competed at triathlon events and subsequently clinched a win at the 2019 Sunset Bay Triathlon in Quang Ninh. He has also gone on to win all the triathlon races in Standard distance in Vietnam since then. His efforts were recognized when he qualified for the SEA Games triathlon event on home soil. Nhat finished the race in sixth position with a new personal best of 2:05:31.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>CHANTALLE NG (SINGAPORE)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When she was just a budding actress at 22, Chantalle was first awarded the Best Newcomer at the 2017 Mediacorp Star Awards for her stellar performance in local drama, ‘While We Are Young’. Subsequently, she went on to pursue different projects which landed her many Star Awards nominations for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress awards.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 2022, Chantalle starred as a female lead in local blockbuster, ‘My Star Bride’, which received widespread attention. Her outstanding performance also earned her nominations for international awards including the New York TV and Film Festival as well as the Seoul Webfest Awards. Chantalle continues to show her rising popularity in Singapore and in the region and was one of the Top 10 winners for the Most Popular Female Artistes in 2022 at the recent Star Awards in Singapore.</div>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-40728269828010115122022-06-02T14:42:00.000+08:002022-06-02T14:42:15.518+08:00WHAT’S YOUR 15:09? – ASICS CALLS ON THE WORLD TO GET MOVING WITH LAUNCH OF 15:09 UPLIFT CHALLENGE<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-xrHcHzCh4fHIdQIklLMaJoJY04Cou-MGWqH0gxZ3J5o--1nHvrbsymoJS-1dq51OI0iEa3yR5E0AmF9xo7lR9labAHiIl_JOEwLJd1_GHBPSdbQjQU4HSEPzXHPBCGBX2VsP5JVnchre6UKYyCNvv4R5vOzYzRucwMfeW6bDh177XXQKxOmpXGDrw/s3334/ASICS%201509%20UPLIFT%20CHALLENGE%20BANNER-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1284" data-original-width="3334" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-xrHcHzCh4fHIdQIklLMaJoJY04Cou-MGWqH0gxZ3J5o--1nHvrbsymoJS-1dq51OI0iEa3yR5E0AmF9xo7lR9labAHiIl_JOEwLJd1_GHBPSdbQjQU4HSEPzXHPBCGBX2VsP5JVnchre6UKYyCNvv4R5vOzYzRucwMfeW6bDh177XXQKxOmpXGDrw/w640-h246/ASICS%201509%20UPLIFT%20CHALLENGE%20BANNER-01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i>Inspired by ASICS research that shows that just 15:09 minutes of exercise is all it can take to begin experiencing the positive impact of movement on the mind</i></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>[KUALA LUMPUR, 1st JUNE 2022]</b> - ASICS is today challenging the world to see the huge impact that even a small amount of movement can have on our mental health, with the launch of its 15:09 Uplift Challenge.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></b><div style="text-align: justify;">Beginning on Global Running Day (June 1) and running throughout the month of June, the challenge calls on people everywhere to move, however they choose, for 15:09 minutes and share how they get on using #LiveUplifted, before challenging friends or family to do the same.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The challenge is inspired by ASICS research which demonstrates the positive link between movement and mental health - the more you move, the higher your state of mind is likely to be1 - and that only 15:09 minutes of movement is all it can take to begin experiencing this uplifting impact.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, with the study also uncovering the worrying impact of lower levels of activity - particularly in younger generations - the 15:09 Uplift Challenge will encourage as many people as possible to experience first-hand the uplifting impact that even a small amount of movement can have on the mind.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dr Brendon Stubbs, a leading exercise and mental health researcher who led the study, said: “15:09 minutes is a far shorter time period than most perceive necessary to achieve the benefits of exercise, and this finding from our previous research makes clear just how accessible it is for everyone to experience the mental benefits – alongside all the physical ones – that come from movement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Spreading the message that 15:09 is all it takes to see this impact becomes even more important when put into the context of our recent State of Mind Index results, which show how our global inactive population is suffering from significantly poorer mental health than those who are dedicating sufficient time to exercise. That is why I’m excited for as many people as possible to get involved in the 15:09 Uplift Challenge, which is such a simple way of uplifting your mind through sport. Let’s come together to boost our collective mental health!”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Getting involved could not be easier. All you have to do is:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Move for 15:09 minutes to uplift your mind (whether its walking, running, tennis or however you like to move)</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Capture a video or image while doing it</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Share the video or image to TikTok, Instagram or Facebook with #LiveUplifted, while challenging another person to do the same</li></ol></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>UPLIFT YOUR LIVES FOR A GOOD CAUSE!</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Concurrently, ASICS Malaysia aims to help raise funds during the 15:09 Uplift Challenge for Mental Illness Awareness and Support Association (MIASA) Malaysia, a mental health advocacy and peer support NGO founded by patients for patients providing counselling, assessments, support groups and various programmes to educate and promote awareness on the importance of mental health issues.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">From 1 to 30 June 2022, Malaysians can post videos or photos on themselves uplifting their mind during the 15:09 Uplift Challenge with #LiveUplifted and #ASICSforMIASA, and ASICS Malaysia will donate RM5 to MIASA Malaysia. The target is to achieve up to 3,000 uploaded content during the entire month to raise a total of RM15,000 in funds.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Getting involved could not be easier. All you have to do is:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;">Move for 15:09 minutes to uplift your mind (whether its walking, running, tennis or however you like to move)</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Capture a video or image while doing it</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Share the video or image to TikTok, Instagram or Facebook. Tag 5 friends with hashtags #ASICSMY #LiveUplifted and #ASICSforMIASA to enable every video posted to be counted for the donation.</li></ol></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the same time, the challenge will support the next wave of ASICS’s research to provide further insight on its Uplifting Minds Study that can aid in many more initiatives to promote better mental health.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ASICS is also giving people a further helping hand when it comes to completing the challenge with the launch of a 15:09 minute run (with the option of a guided workout) via the Runkeeper app.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To find out more about how you can take part in the 15:09 Uplift Challenge visit <a href="http://asics.com">asics.com</a></div>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-65030256277583161492022-02-07T17:58:00.003+08:002022-02-07T17:58:54.073+08:00Press Release: ASICS Launches the Gel-Nimbus 24 Running Shoe, Delivering Advanced Impact Protection Through New ASICS Technology<div style="text-align: justify;"><b>7 February 2022</b> <b>- Kuala Lumpur </b>- ASICS is today announcing the launch of the <b>GEL-NIMBUS™ 24</b> running shoe, offering the most advanced impact protection yet through the introduction of a new type of ASICS technology.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Designed to provide new and improved underfoot comfort, the <b>GEL-NIMBUS™ 24</b> shoe is the first GEL-NIMBUS™ iteration to feature FF BLAST™ PLUS technology, a newly launched ASICS technology that makes the shoe approximately 20 grams lighter1 than its predecessor while providing a more energized toe-off and softer landing in every step.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7UyNiK5dMncs9mb-HRxPx7a_EFLV0bxrn9_mWUkvImwNJJTy93-Kf0Mn3Y1LR5nUHqEaus1rqPTaHE9dWKOIWiT4rT3PwzQ2i7ILkben2SQIOextI8tJ152-wwRBpLiZJCu6ORIj7T61Z8g-kDQ1S5HvJNbWGrLZgvx4-7P9VNk78mR582G81cLucKw=s3507" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2480" data-original-width="3507" height="453" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7UyNiK5dMncs9mb-HRxPx7a_EFLV0bxrn9_mWUkvImwNJJTy93-Kf0Mn3Y1LR5nUHqEaus1rqPTaHE9dWKOIWiT4rT3PwzQ2i7ILkben2SQIOextI8tJ152-wwRBpLiZJCu6ORIj7T61Z8g-kDQ1S5HvJNbWGrLZgvx4-7P9VNk78mR582G81cLucKw=w640-h453" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The upper’s soft engineered mesh and flexible midfoot panel make the shoe more breathable and comfortable during long runs. By moving seamlessly with the foot, these features combine to help each stride feel smoother.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Other features include a knitted tongue construction that comfortably wraps the foot with a softer and more supportive feel. The use of ASICS LITE rubber outsole material – which is lighter and stronger than standard outsole materials – helps improve its durability and resistance against abrasions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgm4RNd2ulMzXGrYiC-pEVpOBVtVapJbPOULZobkQAsXMz3rNfHW_uaRCd43d8J9yX7ihvOZ9JrqoMYTTzzfKZ7ELEy3rE6yOG1DzsKZVtsGNyWo3j0Nj7ATAePv_KGomQZNlv2bU17E2C9ZtMNcx-dbzd2aQM3vyHrT6tjEvECPntpHEolqjjkuCiyrA=s2105" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2105" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgm4RNd2ulMzXGrYiC-pEVpOBVtVapJbPOULZobkQAsXMz3rNfHW_uaRCd43d8J9yX7ihvOZ9JrqoMYTTzzfKZ7ELEy3rE6yOG1DzsKZVtsGNyWo3j0Nj7ATAePv_KGomQZNlv2bU17E2C9ZtMNcx-dbzd2aQM3vyHrT6tjEvECPntpHEolqjjkuCiyrA=w640-h414" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tomohiro Nagasue, General Manager, Performance Running Footwear, Product Development at ASICS said: “At ASICS we are committed to providing runners with a high level of performance and protection so they are free to experience the uplifting benefits of movement on the mind. The lightweight yet durable <b>GEL-NIMBUS™ 24</b> shoe is the latest shoe from ASICS that will enable runners to do just that, with the addition of the FF BLAST ™ PLUS technology allowing the wearer to move even more seamlessly and effortlessly.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The GEL-NIMBUS™ 24</b> running shoe will be available for men and women from ASICS retail, online stores and specialists running outlets globally from February 4 2022 for RM699.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To find out more about the <b>GEL-NIMBUS™ 24</b> and FF BLAST™ PLUS technology, please visit <a href="http://asics.com"><i>asics.com</i></a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-84403286951837391012021-12-21T14:33:00.011+08:002021-12-21T19:26:16.065+08:00Skechers GOrun Razor Excess 50KM Initial Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6ltM6e_YydyWZ008_I0r5ELGs-oVOzgPybK2zTYOJf3WcdTXFo9P2NDodqlPkQc_v226qPXXMtOpt20zgxPCYoZD-fYqI6jl-Bc5MOcOX_6ulJ-rsYS4-5YhofhLTrPszS_22j9KajoF7NcOphEhVeErSwkGzMcgrtANiiIu795NoHq8Qgp_CiguWkw=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6ltM6e_YydyWZ008_I0r5ELGs-oVOzgPybK2zTYOJf3WcdTXFo9P2NDodqlPkQc_v226qPXXMtOpt20zgxPCYoZD-fYqI6jl-Bc5MOcOX_6ulJ-rsYS4-5YhofhLTrPszS_22j9KajoF7NcOphEhVeErSwkGzMcgrtANiiIu795NoHq8Qgp_CiguWkw=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I've just reached the 50km mark on my Skechers GOrun Razor Excess™ and the Razor Excess is basically a fast, fun, lightweight and comfortable shoe! As far as I'm concerned, Skechers has got it extremely right with this go-to trainer and I'm not saying that cause I'm a Skechers fan boy.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I've always had an affinity for the Skechers Performance line of running shoes since the days of the original GOrun, GOrun Ride, which I've practically run in all of them and the Speed series which I've run in some models. Little trivia here, Skechers were basically the first shoe brand that had a composite carbon plate back in the day with the GOmeb Speed before it became really popular. In this day and age of the carbon plated shoes, non plated shoes seldom get the recognition it deserves but the HYPER BURST® midsole is one of the best non plated midsoles I've run in so far.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Anyway, I digress, I don't think you wanna read about me gushing about the Skechers Performance series of running shoe. Let's get down to the nitty gritty of the Skechers GOrun Razor Excess™ and my initial experience with it.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgg_bgAi6PcTE-VeeaEsVIBoAzGgR8WihSlJUs1tLtdieNuaUWCkr7lshefgesEszuBfU-n2Pwvo55gm5pRK_VTk1qNDFna9er2m9YBskv33-jT61Hoy33tfVtpXXBpy8gJ-5HDwBJb2-qOYM5cnyrSqFUZZm6hFby4gSRzq3pgUyAcXlOXqJhbJvTk2Q=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgg_bgAi6PcTE-VeeaEsVIBoAzGgR8WihSlJUs1tLtdieNuaUWCkr7lshefgesEszuBfU-n2Pwvo55gm5pRK_VTk1qNDFna9er2m9YBskv33-jT61Hoy33tfVtpXXBpy8gJ-5HDwBJb2-qOYM5cnyrSqFUZZm6hFby4gSRzq3pgUyAcXlOXqJhbJvTk2Q=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The Razor Excess™ is the newest in the Razor series of performance shoes and is basically built off the Razor 3, Razor 3+ and the Razor 3 Elite Hyper but with a lot more of that magical HYPER BURST® cushioning underfoot. Despite the "Excess" in the name, the Razor Excess™ is not as overly cushioned as it's made out to be but nor are they barren in the cushy department, there's plenty of energy return from the midsole to keep your feet happy over those long runs, daily miles or even if you're slugging it out for those faster tempo runs.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A little on the HYPER BURST®, which is created through an expanding process creating thousands of gas-filled bubbles trapped within the midsole creating a light, forgiving ride that simultaneously feels firm yet protective with very little displacement but with very noticeable cushioning underfoot. That's basically the magic of the shoe, in my opinion.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm one who loves the more light and minimalist range of shoes, as those who know me will attest to that, which was why I loved the Razor 3. To be honest I was a little skeptical about the Razor Excess™, what with the word Excess which adds a few millimetres of stack height, a wider midsole platform and a rockered geometry <i>(HYPER ARC™)</i> based from the Razor 3. But with all these enhancements, they actually kept the shoe as light as the Razor 3 and not as thick as I expected them to be. In fact the Razor Excess™ is such a fun, fast and extremely lightweight shoe that is not just ideal as a daily trainer but just as good for those tempo or speed days and right up to being a race day shoe!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdqRreF2EYTIdgFSZ0VaJa2d0cXXEhjo8xGtdjIqevwFEQuIyHjgwPoFC4Abbhq7BnDcKBa8ng65t3NLOVMMVDk18nMfSt4rFqZErGCqKcdYl68un5w2QJE0U7kuSqaSnEXvl2lnhBrfYNnboL9wCt8jxAufqeebDywKsrGzR4J3OrlSWH2-FlA2x9aQ=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdqRreF2EYTIdgFSZ0VaJa2d0cXXEhjo8xGtdjIqevwFEQuIyHjgwPoFC4Abbhq7BnDcKBa8ng65t3NLOVMMVDk18nMfSt4rFqZErGCqKcdYl68un5w2QJE0U7kuSqaSnEXvl2lnhBrfYNnboL9wCt8jxAufqeebDywKsrGzR4J3OrlSWH2-FlA2x9aQ=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The upper of the ultra-cushioned and neutral Skechers GOrun Razor Excess™ features a very breathable and airy mono mesh with not a ton of padding to get in the way of escaping heat as I could feel the wind flow through the shoes. I've read reviews that the mesh upper feels a little plastic-like <i>(granted, it does)</i> and do cause some support problems for some but I've had no such issues on my end. The Razor Excess™ is true to size and supports my foot nicely as the thin and flexible but not really stretchy upper had a good wrap and admirable support.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The upper also has a nice thin, race like tongue that's about 1-2mm thick which is something I really like. I love shoes with thin tongues and this one is right up my alley. What's even nicer is Skechers has added a small strip of foam in the centre of the tongue which provides just enough protection from lace bites. The ankle collar and heel has enough padding to add a sense of comfort even though the rest of this shoe feels a lot more like a race shoe, one that in my opinion feel like the most comfortable race shoe in the market <i>(even surpassing my favourite Asics Hyperspeed)</i> though in honesty as a daily trainer there are obviously plusher rides out there but don't get me wrong, these work just as good if not better.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtz_pq7b87Iedj7QGioAaiFYtBHNhpdQHyl1DIHVlz3wDpNi4fqnqqkpezzh6MplYPtN2ODV7wnO_8b8UF-lB7PTXGndjb46Mxgh65H44ziZofr0YppA3D1TMLdpesjpopdyljRA4ueOgmqjO6ZuBACFjUZjxPX7vGcrtmy13jJheS-zqDjtv8w-kVLQ=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtz_pq7b87Iedj7QGioAaiFYtBHNhpdQHyl1DIHVlz3wDpNi4fqnqqkpezzh6MplYPtN2ODV7wnO_8b8UF-lB7PTXGndjb46Mxgh65H44ziZofr0YppA3D1TMLdpesjpopdyljRA4ueOgmqjO6ZuBACFjUZjxPX7vGcrtmy13jJheS-zqDjtv8w-kVLQ=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The outsole of the Razor Excess™ consists of a Goodyear® rubber for improved durability and super solid traction both on wet and dry tarmac. This was something I had a chance to try, what with the non-stop rainfall we had the past couple of days. I ran them in the rain on very wet roads with loads of puddles and even a track and they handle the grip really well. So kudos to the Goodyear® rubber. I'm also suspecting the durability to be phenomenal cos even with 50km underfoot, there's not an ounce of wear. We'll see how it goes in the next 50km though.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Nothing much I can say about the midsole except that it's fantastic and lively even with the more excessive material and it will try to keep you pushing the pace, if you have the legs for it, that is. I'm on a base training plan at the moment and my pace were really set on the lower end of the spectrum and the shoe was just screaming to be unleashed but I've kept to a strict pace discipline mostly. The one time I've tried them out on speedwork at paces between 4:40 to 4:55, they were on fire! Looking forward to this Thursday's track intervals to really give them a go. The Skechers GOrun Razor Excess™ has a 26/30mm stack height which makes it a 4mm drop shoe (my favourite kind of drop) and weighs in at just about 7oz for a US9 <i>(I'm using a US8 so, it should be lighter though I haven't really weighed it yet)</i>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiSRd_u4ySpBfSStXxU2u2wpRdvcW8g40ACpT-C8yc-Q_EyDAXWoh62r-FEhDBfuRFM8bocUvlur3Wsvgc8-CgQYWyegqatkQamfqR77Z1tiHeu4kRUBItA-lxolhCG8asYk7ZWykzN6WKN7lCH2bjUjFbzYX8Hg8mnn31KAWdUC8O8G1KzZhwDoZ4Rg=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiSRd_u4ySpBfSStXxU2u2wpRdvcW8g40ACpT-C8yc-Q_EyDAXWoh62r-FEhDBfuRFM8bocUvlur3Wsvgc8-CgQYWyegqatkQamfqR77Z1tiHeu4kRUBItA-lxolhCG8asYk7ZWykzN6WKN7lCH2bjUjFbzYX8Hg8mnn31KAWdUC8O8G1KzZhwDoZ4Rg=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">While I would love to say there was really nothing I didn't like about the shoes but in truth, there were one or two minor stuff would have made the Razor Excess™ an all round shoe. While not a big issue, the laces were a little flimsy and had very short end pieces that made lacing the shoe kinda difficult, let's not even talk about double knotting them. While this is easily replaced with switching out the laces, I would have thought, it could have just been done as a default. The next one is something I consider a bigger issue as there really are no reflective elements at all on the shoe. What seems to be reflective dots on the outside of the toebox doesn't really reflect any light, at least not that I was visibly aware of. For someone like me who runs in the wee hours of the morning before the sun comes up, this is kinda important for me.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Aside from that I can see no wrong with the Skechers GOrun Razor Excess™. With cushioning that is in the goldilocks of cushioning that doesn't get in the way of a quick turnover and with its extremely lightweight, this is definitely set to be my go to daily trainer as well as for speedwork. And the bright flashy colourways are also right down my alley!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrDptIhIhrxdYNWiXNoHiw3TGDBfQgeG2FHFvZdudOUWlSowU6RAqcu2k-dYGOdmMIZoQvmgstsYgyRsMvEocAFI-COGT-uafNeAt6TOP89u7PNrwVYAlEDg9CKVYmK4c6DPHgJZJhT9AoZOwqNk_G_lBAI79PP3FeIMDdNUDnWS3GRtqxTVGowc-U6g=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrDptIhIhrxdYNWiXNoHiw3TGDBfQgeG2FHFvZdudOUWlSowU6RAqcu2k-dYGOdmMIZoQvmgstsYgyRsMvEocAFI-COGT-uafNeAt6TOP89u7PNrwVYAlEDg9CKVYmK4c6DPHgJZJhT9AoZOwqNk_G_lBAI79PP3FeIMDdNUDnWS3GRtqxTVGowc-U6g=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Skechers has always impressed me with their innovation and aside from a few models, namely the ultra cushioned ones, only cos I'm not into very cushioned shoes, their other series, especially the daily trainers and racing flats has always endeared themselves to me. I'll be blunt, it's hard to get a hold of a lot of the newer and latest Performance series like the Skechers GOrun Speed Freek or even the GOrun Speed Elite Hyper and in all honesty may not even make an appearance here but they really do make some great and often overlooked performance shoes. Hoping Skechers Malaysia at least bring in a few of them in time.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">That said, the Skechers GOrun Razor Excess™ is available in selected Skechers outlets, Skechers online, Shopee and Lazada and is retailed at RM499.00. The Skechers GOrun Razor Excess™ was kindly provided by Skechers Malaysia for review purposes but the review above is based on my own personal experience with the shoe and is in no way influenced by <a href="https://www.skechers.com.my/products/skechers-men-tech-running-gorun-razor-excess-shoes-246004-ylbl"><i>Skechers Malaysia</i></a> whatsoever.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXYTEpnfBKneU-qbCkk1QBRpWJrmSPEkiGh-GnkbIUSEgCpPaz_V6SZDY6rBPSmrGsVbjAezC7fIVl_b5VXUZXpkyVGOlWYUFnHWRUE03UzU6JmnIqgzcDnkZ83-3Df3U4Tpd5vTiPmiQY2kNixPN6Cpfr5niFMd4D8wf9nvVwIN9bw9W426CoInsaVw=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXYTEpnfBKneU-qbCkk1QBRpWJrmSPEkiGh-GnkbIUSEgCpPaz_V6SZDY6rBPSmrGsVbjAezC7fIVl_b5VXUZXpkyVGOlWYUFnHWRUE03UzU6JmnIqgzcDnkZ83-3Df3U4Tpd5vTiPmiQY2kNixPN6Cpfr5niFMd4D8wf9nvVwIN9bw9W426CoInsaVw=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-13621644275190836362021-12-11T17:14:00.000+08:002021-12-11T17:14:15.374+08:004,000 MEALS DONATED TO CELEBRATE ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL DISTRICT RACE MALAYSIA BY AIA VITALITY <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRcYJaE5CrpCFpPcQe9rQTUKxhkBhoVcSmYIBS_t58XA7sQ5_UAltvZqnnXj-G2xs8w6JGYIhPKT9zvYr975ZOoNdRlOvPgSi40PBxaDw0oOuElmeN2AoEXc2oaEoKHT_n81kv1b6CtVT/s2048/District+Race_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRcYJaE5CrpCFpPcQe9rQTUKxhkBhoVcSmYIBS_t58XA7sQ5_UAltvZqnnXj-G2xs8w6JGYIhPKT9zvYr975ZOoNdRlOvPgSi40PBxaDw0oOuElmeN2AoEXc2oaEoKHT_n81kv1b6CtVT/w640-h426/District+Race_9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;">The highly anticipated free-to-enter event ran from 18 October to 7 November 2021 with 48 new Run Challenges, encouraging Malaysians to get out and get active in their own time</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;">Over 12,000 participants ran more than 47,000 kilometres during the event</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;">Inspired by the participants’ achievements, AIA Malaysia donated 4,000 meals to Kechara Soup Kitchen for thousands of families affected by the pandemic</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;">Fabulous prizes including Garmin watches and Shopee vouchers were given away to top-scoring runners</span></li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">The popular <b>District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality</b> returned for a second time this year, attracting more than 12,000 people to participate in the digitally engaging and fun urban exploration event. Held from 18 October to 7 November 2021, the event saw over 13 million District points accumulated and a total of 47,000 kilometres covered by all participants in just three weeks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To commemorate this great achievement and show appreciation for all those who took part, presenting sponsor AIA Malaysia stepped up to donate 4,000 meals to Kechara Soup Kitchen to feed thousands of families who have been affected by the pandemic. The donation helped support the not-for-profit and non-governmental organisation’s efforts to provide food to the homeless and urban-poor populations of Malaysia.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkAefLvUED4oezSxzYfyzQQp2_2G1La33NW2apE4saRJL3IUoA6sduiC4VK_GPSbljJ-fN6k3GB1ghdysqmZZ3q4HQD0xy5D9-D16_ju566ukYrHJOjCmdNPPEUEnGgTVGuFzrjB1-Pzu/s2048/Kechara+x+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality+-+Food+Donation+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1876" data-original-width="2048" height="586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkAefLvUED4oezSxzYfyzQQp2_2G1La33NW2apE4saRJL3IUoA6sduiC4VK_GPSbljJ-fN6k3GB1ghdysqmZZ3q4HQD0xy5D9-D16_ju566ukYrHJOjCmdNPPEUEnGgTVGuFzrjB1-Pzu/w640-h586/Kechara+x+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality+-+Food+Donation+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Heng Zee Wang, AIA Bhd.’s Chief Marketing Officer</b> said, <i>“It’s great to see Malaysians from all walks of life come together again to take part in this new and extended race format. We were so inspired to see participants clocking up a total of 47,000 kilometres in just three short weeks that we decided to do our part and celebrate their achievements by donating 4,000 meals to families in need. Through this unique event, not only were we able to encourage Malaysians to lead healthier lives by actively participating in the event but also do our part to give back to the community, upholding our commitment to support every opportunity to empower Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.”</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality was first introduced earlier in March 2021 to spur more Malaysians to keep active and stay healthy, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. It proved to be a huge success where over 11,000 runners participated in this fun way to keep healthy as well as to be in the running to win one of the 40 fabulous prizes such as Garmin watches, adidas vouchers and of course, the coveted grand prize, a brand new Proton X50.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With the ongoing pandemic, the organisers decided to extend the digital event so Malaysians could continue having an avenue to stay healthy. Like the previous instalment, participants had the freedom to take part anywhere and anytime but in this extension, 48 new Run Challenges were introduced across eight states in Malaysia so there were more new run routes to explore while scoring as many points as possible.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIu6fSJEmQe5QTz-WVeavdknKVlVltF48nalgU36runvUn0dBHbGdsBwpUGdUlQTzgdzEpdXVzzO3bQZ_RTQhpOr2tsOWIRKkcJGr7SMGmx_gpU26zUnd3qDvYWPyyYpnRBneTrvLMGxIS/s2048/Kechara+x+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality+-+Food+Donation+%25284%2529.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIu6fSJEmQe5QTz-WVeavdknKVlVltF48nalgU36runvUn0dBHbGdsBwpUGdUlQTzgdzEpdXVzzO3bQZ_RTQhpOr2tsOWIRKkcJGr7SMGmx_gpU26zUnd3qDvYWPyyYpnRBneTrvLMGxIS/w640-h640/Kechara+x+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality+-+Food+Donation+%25284%2529.JPEG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All points go towards the leaderboard for a chance to win amazing prizes, such as a Garmin Forerunner 645 or RM500 Shopee vouchers. The winner for the Most Run Challenges completed category was Angeline Chia Ya Sian while Dave Goh and Ooi Ning Enn took home the prize for Top Male and Female respectively. In addition, three lucky participants – Hooi Soon Wai, John Lau and AsokPrem A/L Appu – won the Most Committed Explorer lucky draw.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Chris Cable, Chief Operating Officer</b>, District Technologies, said, <i>“Runners look forward to running events as a validation of their dedication and physical wellness when they complete the race. However, with COVID-19, these events were cancelled and the void of these events was definitely felt by the running community. This was one of the main factors in deciding to host a digital race with District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality earlier this year, to continue giving runners something to be excited about in their running lifestyle. It proved to be a huge success with participants enjoying the flexibility on when they want to race while collecting points, unlocking fun Augmented Reality selfie filters, and also be in the running for fabulous prizes. The extension of this campaign that took part over three weeks from 18 October to 7 November 2021 was again very well received by the community. We would like to thank AIA for being a part of this unique experience again this year, allowing District to continue to provide runners all across Malaysia with a fun and engaging way to participate in running events in the new normal.”</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For more information, follow @DistrictRaceMY on Facebook and Instagram.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzgs2h8om0Tue1jyPekqYz_7BDK_3dTcuieqZWqeuIW7AOQBkgzorfcASbd8zIuS3R2jj_bsqXBU_OEfI4OXlKA_tAg61eXl6luAJ8w3jUF5XEzwK0BOYg6hY-2a5-DyE7aoXVyLU1fPKs/s2048/Kechara+x+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality+-+Food+Donation+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1556" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzgs2h8om0Tue1jyPekqYz_7BDK_3dTcuieqZWqeuIW7AOQBkgzorfcASbd8zIuS3R2jj_bsqXBU_OEfI4OXlKA_tAg61eXl6luAJ8w3jUF5XEzwK0BOYg6hY-2a5-DyE7aoXVyLU1fPKs/w486-h640/Kechara+x+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality+-+Food+Donation+%25282%2529.jpg" width="486" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>About District (exploredistrict.com)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Contact: Chris Cable, Chief Operating Officer, Chris@district-technologies.com
District is a ground-breaking technology platform that encourages people to lead active, healthy lifestyles through the District app. With no set route or distance, participants choose how they explore the city, by completing virtual checkpoints and challenges to accumulate the most points within the race time limit. The app makes use of Augmented Reality, location-based technologies, and gamification to create a unique experiential running experience for participants.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>About AIA Vitality</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">AIA Vitality is Asia’s first and only comprehensive science-backed health programme. It provides members with the knowledge, tools and motivation to bring about long-term positive behavioural changes to lead a healthier life. AIA Vitality members are incentivised to actively engage in health and wellness activities by offering them a range of benefits including extra insurance benefits on selected insurance and Takaful plans as well as savings and discounts from AIA Vitality partners.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>About AIA Bhd.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">AIA Bhd. is a leading insurer in Malaysia, where we have been privileged to do business since 1948. We offer a suite of financial solutions including Protection, Health, Personal Accident, Employee Benefits, General Insurance, Mortgage, Retirement and Family Takaful products to meet our customers’ protection and financial security needs at every life stage. Through our wide and diverse distribution footprint which comprises of a 20,000 strong Life Planner force, our exclusive bank partner’s branches nationwide as well as corporate sales teams and brokers, we give our customers the choice of deciding how, when and where they connect with us.
Part of the AIA Group, the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group, AIA Bhd. has the financial strength, experience, service centre network and a well-trained team of more than 2,600 employees to serve our 4 million customers nationwide. As at 30 June 2021, AIA Bhd.’s total asset worth was RM60.14 billion, with a paid-up capital of RM810 million.
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-26993846092154096382021-11-02T14:16:00.002+08:002021-11-02T14:18:35.328+08:00The ASICS GEL - KAYANO™ LITE 2 Shoe Launch!<div style="text-align: justify;"><b>ASICS
LAUNCHES THE
GEL
-
KAYANO
™
LITE 2
, ALLOWING
RUNNERS TO TAKE THE BURDEN OFF THE PLANET AS WELL
AS THEIR BODIES</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
The new
<b>GEL
-
KAYANO™ LITE</b>
running shoe
returns,
offering
high level of
stability and cushioning while maintaining its lightweight design.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
Made with more recycled materials, the
<b>GEL
-
KAYANO™ LITE 2</b>
is a leading
example of ASICS’ commitment to sustainable practices for the future.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEVJW5OiDCPQ3TyvMZF546w6RJxDfxUGyLSelF1eY4qxJGI8A4Vs7JQ6rKu1kj2QV63YfWD6qmRf6uN7x5JPYRWY6An2Yxm6PpQhrtpHqgvqNBqVSkxmr8j0Hfr7-KC6W9r4VEcjHVFyI/s2048/1_GELKayanoLite2_Male_Horizontal+.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="2048" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHEVJW5OiDCPQ3TyvMZF546w6RJxDfxUGyLSelF1eY4qxJGI8A4Vs7JQ6rKu1kj2QV63YfWD6qmRf6uN7x5JPYRWY6An2Yxm6PpQhrtpHqgvqNBqVSkxmr8j0Hfr7-KC6W9r4VEcjHVFyI/w640-h452/1_GELKayanoLite2_Male_Horizontal+.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>[1
November
2021 - Kuala Lumpur] </b>- ASICS
is
today
launching <b>GEL
-
KAYANO™ LITE
2</b>, a
great
shoe for runners who care as much about sustainability as they do stability.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Maintaining
its signature lightweight design but featuring evolved midsole cushioning
for a softer
ride, the <b>GEL
-
KAYANO
™
LITE 2</b> will set runners up to go
smoother
for
longer,
helping
them to
achieve a sound mind in a sound body.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The
FLYTEFOAM
™
cushioning found
in the midsole
is formed with organically derived
material
.
Not only
does this provide
a
lighter and more durable midsole than
traditional materials
, it
is also a more environmentally friendly method of producing
shoes. Taking this commitment one step further, the shoe’s upper
utilizes recycled
materials, including 60%
-
recycled polyester.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ASICS has achieved
excellent
stability
by
designing the <b>GEL
-
KAYANO
™
LITE 2</b> with a
flared
and thickened midsole in the
medial
heel
area
to minimize the roll inward
motion, so
runners can take each stride wit
h confidence and
reduce load on the foot.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbxYHdDxDc89Sxb_DhiskB6HMkKlYqhqSCefLvJquuouYU0brEAXHX-TToFSWODCAnvOj-NtOgd0lZLtY0d6RDtVOadtgb1d4DzipzX7iab592h4VMgGKLQPlW_q5jG2M5Y-Mb29XV9fO/s2048/2_GELKayanoLite2_Female_Horizontal+.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="2048" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbxYHdDxDc89Sxb_DhiskB6HMkKlYqhqSCefLvJquuouYU0brEAXHX-TToFSWODCAnvOj-NtOgd0lZLtY0d6RDtVOadtgb1d4DzipzX7iab592h4VMgGKLQPlW_q5jG2M5Y-Mb29XV9fO/w640-h452/2_GELKayanoLite2_Female_Horizontal+.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What’s more, the shoe’s wider platform creates a smoother landing and toe
-
off,
providing additional stability and making it a
great
partner for those looking to
join
ASICS’ mission to move one million minds in 2021.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kicking off on
Global Running Day
2021,
ASICS
is
challenging runners
everywhere
to
get
active alongside thousands of
other
runners around the
world
by
taking part in
a
World Uplifting Minds Run
,
available via the Race Roster and
ASICS
Runkeeper
™
apps, to see the impact of movement on their mind first
-
hand
with
the
Mind
Uplifter
™
. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The
<b>GEL
-
KAYANO
™
LITE 2</b>
will be available
at ASICS retail,
ASICS.COM
and
specialists running outlets in Malaysia
.
The
shoe will retail for
<b>RM
699</b>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Across the year, ASICS product will offer the performance and protection needed to
get every athlete out there feeling the
uplifting effect to its fullest. To find out more,
visit <a href="http://asics.com">asics.com</a>.</div>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-51890529511915275982021-10-08T18:55:00.000+08:002021-10-08T18:55:07.970+08:00RUN TOGETHER TO UPLIFT THE WORLD IN THE ASICS WORLD EKIDEN 2021<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>ASICS INVITE
S
RUNNERS
TO RUN
TOGETHER TO
UPLIFT THE
WORLD IN THE ASICS WORLD EKIDEN 2021.</b></p><div style="text-align: justify;">Teams
of
up
to
six
can
register
for
free
to
take
on
the
ultimate
virtual
marathon
relay.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmovZ1mChaYZUmcuCqL6Tiw5qIKpGN00k2ozsUgPIH_sSCr_cVSzt3hb0Ked2wa5NZsoMAbxXsmfnkINl88CDNVeYRIbZv2YenrJuNllrmkRnn0rDe45jWxcb-FMG8cHl8eXwCjMVQC2YH/s2048/Ekiden2021_KeyVisual_Final_V2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="2048" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmovZ1mChaYZUmcuCqL6Tiw5qIKpGN00k2ozsUgPIH_sSCr_cVSzt3hb0Ked2wa5NZsoMAbxXsmfnkINl88CDNVeYRIbZv2YenrJuNllrmkRnn0rDe45jWxcb-FMG8cHl8eXwCjMVQC2YH/w640-h452/Ekiden2021_KeyVisual_Final_V2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">[October
6
,
2021
–
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA]
–
ASICS
is inviting
teams of up to
six to
run together
to
uplift the world by completing
the ASICS
World Ekiden 2021.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Following
on from the success of last year’s inaugural event,
which brought together
over 56,000 people
from
179 different countries
, ASICS
is
once again
calling on runners
all over the world
to unite
and
run
together
with their team
between
10
-
22 November
,
as
part of
its continued mission to uplift the world through sport in 2021 and beyond.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4ib2DSeoK3aRHgBx8WRY54f3ezHsG7m_16IYNWN9IYo2BXYISxewlX5YbVV8OjVU3A0w8_9ifzm_o5c8IvD-VHD6swbHWjr0LadieBYiGF0f96tq6aS98RnA2NHc9hIo2RlrSzKK9a3N/s2048/AW21_UpliftingMinds_Athletes_Napoleon_07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4ib2DSeoK3aRHgBx8WRY54f3ezHsG7m_16IYNWN9IYo2BXYISxewlX5YbVV8OjVU3A0w8_9ifzm_o5c8IvD-VHD6swbHWjr0LadieBYiGF0f96tq6aS98RnA2NHc9hIo2RlrSzKK9a3N/w640-h426/AW21_UpliftingMinds_Athletes_Napoleon_07.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Inspired by Japanese
heritage and running culture,
the ASICS World Ekiden 2021 is the
ultimate virtual relay founded on teamwork.
Spilt into six legs of varying distances
(three of
5K, two of 10K
and one of a 7.2K)
,
the race
sees teams of up to six
pass
a
digital
ta
suki
-
a narrow band of fabric
associated with traditional Ekidens
-
between
them
as
they run
a combined
virtual
marathon
in the fastest possible time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yasuhito Hirota, President & COO of ASICS, said,
“Throughout 2021
,
ASICS is
on a
mission to inspire as many people
as possible
to experience the
uplifting
impact of
movement on the mind
as a way of
achieving a sound
mind in a sound body.
Back for its
second year, t
he ASICS World Ekiden 2021 is one of the many events we’re hosting across
the year
that
we hope will
inspire people to
get involved.
We’re excited for runners of all
levels and
abilities everywhere to
unite in their teams
and
combine
their
collective
efforts
as they race towards the virtual finish line.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3o8O0bcsFzVpPCO4AUYc9w_QGg22kGkcfqTtkrKb-vUOm-NoOR4pAJEfcsjOiVTrffbLsPjAioN0pl5nRClfdunx9SRpb9EC2IGQVrNyEe8FxIHEmuNy6HLkbuzxgKSb4yJXTeQfeKwh/s1920/SFS_ASICS_UPLIFT_VECTORS_LND-STEPS_st01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3o8O0bcsFzVpPCO4AUYc9w_QGg22kGkcfqTtkrKb-vUOm-NoOR4pAJEfcsjOiVTrffbLsPjAioN0pl5nRClfdunx9SRpb9EC2IGQVrNyEe8FxIHEmuNy6HLkbuzxgKSb4yJXTeQfeKwh/w640-h360/SFS_ASICS_UPLIFT_VECTORS_LND-STEPS_st01.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>HOW TO TAKE PART
NOW?</b></div></b><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>1.
REGISTER FOR FREE</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
Find your team of up to
six runner
s and
nominate a team captain to
sign
-
up for free via
the
ASICS Runkeeper
™
app
or
the
OneASICS™
membership program
.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>2.
TRAIN & TRACK</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
Working together is key to the Ekiden relay. The ASICS Runkeeper™ app
will help you collaborate with your team on challenges and training plans.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>3.
RUN THE RACE</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
Log your leg of the race in the ASICS
Runkeeper™ app between
10
-
22
November
,
2021
. Work hard and run fast as you pass the virtual
ta
suki
from one teammate to the next.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>4.
CELEBRATE & SHARE</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
Share your team’s results with friends and family on social
media
using
#
ASICSWorldEkiden</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4kXFJIqpoW278pqRKAU7b0RuEFqRxe2tKoLam1y_iX9wf4GvxpoG9vDoZ1nIM-ZzJGX0uOrNbZyLY4l5yT3l-bt4eI4HlYRwTdEibZb2sRMGzZg1ymsXqew_D4hxG5XvLBjYe0qBGpkt/s1920/SFS_ASICS_UPLIFT_VECTORS_LND-QUESTION_st01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4kXFJIqpoW278pqRKAU7b0RuEFqRxe2tKoLam1y_iX9wf4GvxpoG9vDoZ1nIM-ZzJGX0uOrNbZyLY4l5yT3l-bt4eI4HlYRwTdEibZb2sRMGzZg1ymsXqew_D4hxG5XvLBjYe0qBGpkt/w640-h360/SFS_ASICS_UPLIFT_VECTORS_LND-QUESTION_st01.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>UPLIFTING THE
WORLD TOGETHER</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The ASICS World Ekiden 2021 is one of many
ASICS events taking place around
World
Mental Health Day in October to inspire as many people as possible to get moving and
contribute to vital global research
. To
take part
, people simply need to
capture their
state of mind, before and after
any
exercise
via
the
<a href="https://minduplifter.asics.com/"><i>Mind Uplifter™</i></a>
. All results will be
added to the collective World Uplift Score and can be tracked live on the
<a href="https://minduplifter.asics.com/world-uplift-map"><i>World UpliftMap</i></a>
.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For more information, visit <a href="http://www.asics.com/my/en-my/mk/asics-world-ekiden"><i>www.asics.com/my/en-my/mk/asics-world-ekiden</i></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-43475842787938462962021-09-30T15:38:00.005+08:002021-09-30T15:38:58.448+08:00The ASICS GEL-KINSEI™ BLAST Launch<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>UPLIFT YOUR MIND IN
STYLE
WITH
THE
NEW
ASICS
GEL-KINSEI™ BLAST.</b></p><div style="text-align: justify;">The<b>
GEL-KINSEI™
Blast</b>
is
designed
for
those
who
seek
top
level
running
technology
when
uplifting
their
mind.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigHO-y3MalWCDEYw94N8dfp597yNLjAJKBsR9nFr0wHkXokJdQS1JY7B8uDKgPbCbohmcFqhi7afMMNgN2j8OKvIj2e8SU-1LlWeXh1S_hwino3SayVj2BBxIJGKHaJVkBTcCz_s5h5A2O/s2048/AW21_KINSEI_KeyVisual_Dual_Beneft_vertical.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigHO-y3MalWCDEYw94N8dfp597yNLjAJKBsR9nFr0wHkXokJdQS1JY7B8uDKgPbCbohmcFqhi7afMMNgN2j8OKvIj2e8SU-1LlWeXh1S_hwino3SayVj2BBxIJGKHaJVkBTcCz_s5h5A2O/w452-h640/AW21_KINSEI_KeyVisual_Dual_Beneft_vertical.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>[September 29
,
2021
-
KUALA LUMPUR]</b>
-
ASICS is today launching
the new
<b>GEL-KINSEI™
Blast</b>
shoe, offering
plush comfort for your run and energy
return for your day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Inspired by the <b>GEL-KINSEI™</b> iterations from the mid
-
2000s, the
smart
and
stylish
<b>GEL-KINSEI™ Blast</b> unites Japanese craftsmanship
with a modern
design, for runners who seek
top
-
level
running technology when it comes to
uplifting their mind.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The
<b>GEL-KINSEI™ Blast</b>
features
a
<b>PEBAX
™</b>
propulsion plate
with
<b>FF
BLAST
™ PLUS</b>
cushioning in
its
midsole, combining
to
redirect the
runner’s
energy forward
to create
a faster feel, while
enabling
a smooth and cushioned
landing
every step of
the way along your
uplift journey.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnDCxSAJXaUjDTEwNQabQJGEJc_NWts9wDMyc7h3FZQtt7VS4n_zxOpwwRb9xmKlRat5ZWm-LHEzi5fgsDU2i2VdfpQ-WS3kwfrM1z14Q0ff_AVf-3nYX2qAIDYO1pJr0IXu7ZHEarMFu/s2048/AW21_KINSEI_KeyVisual_Dual_Conversion_Product_vertical.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnDCxSAJXaUjDTEwNQabQJGEJc_NWts9wDMyc7h3FZQtt7VS4n_zxOpwwRb9xmKlRat5ZWm-LHEzi5fgsDU2i2VdfpQ-WS3kwfrM1z14Q0ff_AVf-3nYX2qAIDYO1pJr0IXu7ZHEarMFu/w452-h640/AW21_KINSEI_KeyVisual_Dual_Conversion_Product_vertical.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Other
key
features
of the shoe include
the use of
shock absorbent <b>GEL™</b>
technology cushioning
to deliver
confidence throughout your run, and an
engineered knit upper
taking inspiration from a samurai’s armor, renowned <span style="text-align: left;">for protecting the body while allowing it to move freely
. This helps
provide
excellent
comfort and support, working with the eyelet system to stretch with
the midfoot
to
create
a more locked
-
in feel
.
Similarly, the <b>GEL-KINSEI™ Blast</b>
also
features
visual
influences from the hi
story of Japan
-
with detailing in the
midsole mirroring a samurai’s curvaceous katana sword.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIPaahMYtTmoUJ56Q-UFyEGjGIps5N7yY429ZWFlIs1LYIztgLg-KUg9kiM5_hMR42Oy9qh9o4bpAIohK3QQOw_ciMhV6gSx8uBL56QY2Th_kdnTH05l4ETCQoRElGg0s3puyhg5qumfk/s1200/1011B203_004_GEL-KINSEI-BLAST_BEAUTY_KV_7628.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="1200" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaIPaahMYtTmoUJ56Q-UFyEGjGIps5N7yY429ZWFlIs1LYIztgLg-KUg9kiM5_hMR42Oy9qh9o4bpAIohK3QQOw_ciMhV6gSx8uBL56QY2Th_kdnTH05l4ETCQoRElGg0s3puyhg5qumfk/w640-h350/1011B203_004_GEL-KINSEI-BLAST_BEAUTY_KV_7628.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">The launch of the
<b>GEL-KINSEI™ Blast</b>
sees
ASICS
continue its
mission to
inspire as many
people as possible to move their body to experience the mind
-
uplifting benefits of exercise.
ASICS
is
tracking
its
progress by asking athletes
to contribute to a live study that records the collective uplift score of every
community and the world as a who
le.
Take part at
<a href="http://MindUplifter.ASICS.com"><i>MindUplifter.ASICS.com</i></a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>GEL-KINSEI™ Blast</b> will be available for men and women from ASICS retail,
<a href="http://ASICS.COM"><i>ASICS.COM</i></a>
and specialists running outlets in Malaysia from Sept 29, 2021 </span><span style="text-align: left;">onwards
at a retail price of RM749.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziBnoYA70lobzt-IrOWurQTDC76iX5n_NYkv855AjJjb2P0mg0xxkH6SWEPsj6JiihsTdhmSo-c4aEfn8fqt4B8T2b-1PECdIN-_jItANo5-FhP8jWVcw3SR6xkBsdzBlrPU1ToF_YeFk/s1200/1012B068_001_GEL-KINSEI-BLAST_BEAUTY_KV_7632.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="1200" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziBnoYA70lobzt-IrOWurQTDC76iX5n_NYkv855AjJjb2P0mg0xxkH6SWEPsj6JiihsTdhmSo-c4aEfn8fqt4B8T2b-1PECdIN-_jItANo5-FhP8jWVcw3SR6xkBsdzBlrPU1ToF_YeFk/w640-h334/1012B068_001_GEL-KINSEI-BLAST_BEAUTY_KV_7632.png" width="640" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Find
out more about
ASICS’
mission to move one million minds at </span><span style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="http://MindUplifter.ASICS.com">MindUplifter.ASICS.com</a>.</i></span></div>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-65330647372254269052021-08-17T15:32:00.001+08:002021-08-17T15:32:37.443+08:00Initial Review: Xtep 160X v1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA78PXR6Nhz0s_mZ2yG9XpzcXXBEOy1tLALi1gcbuISALHje4Rqw9Nblu_onPSUuwx7RsE7ReTbYIYQr8l9aAoZ3r19KvPyzvBePmaAkeqdfCNxvSN_R2ZSjiXVboCwNYkjmXo9nskVgTD/s2048/IMG_20210807_180714_838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA78PXR6Nhz0s_mZ2yG9XpzcXXBEOy1tLALi1gcbuISALHje4Rqw9Nblu_onPSUuwx7RsE7ReTbYIYQr8l9aAoZ3r19KvPyzvBePmaAkeqdfCNxvSN_R2ZSjiXVboCwNYkjmXo9nskVgTD/w640-h480/IMG_20210807_180714_838.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Being a running shoe geek who follows lots of shoe geek pages on social media, it's only natural that I would be seeing lots of shoe talk go through that page. From the more popular brand names to the smaller less conspicuous ones. Some intrigue me, some don't. That said, I do have my favourite brands that I prefer and the Xtep brand of running shoe line wasn't really one of them, to be absolutely honest. Yes, I've heard of them, I wouldn't be a shoe geek if I didn't keep track of all shoe brands out there now would I?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Their first carbon plated shoe the Xtep 160X did catch my eye, but I wasn't a carbon plated shoe fan. I had the Nike 4% and it just didn't work for me. Maybe I'm not as efficient as the rest who could make magic with carbon plated shoes. I'm more of the minimalist racer kinda guy. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTTBttAwJhlZOK-r0_XjcjP511kUXo_13cc00oG0yVsc1M6f7v1WfFLgROjlyQ-tO8A50wrrxw0cZoH-ELZUC9xKVwQfzbBCkA-0MkHaDGi-FI82G-cH2PYnzHjygwnuf-hM0Or3oLSus/s2048/IMG_20210807_180851_896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTTBttAwJhlZOK-r0_XjcjP511kUXo_13cc00oG0yVsc1M6f7v1WfFLgROjlyQ-tO8A50wrrxw0cZoH-ELZUC9xKVwQfzbBCkA-0MkHaDGi-FI82G-cH2PYnzHjygwnuf-hM0Or3oLSus/w640-h480/IMG_20210807_180851_896.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">But I was given the opportunity to try out the 160X by Xtep Malaysia and I said why not. Let's see if I really couldn't handle carbon plated shoes or if this was any different. Please do note, my experience with carbon plated shoes are miniscule. The shoe arrived within 10 days or so and I was a little excited to give it a spin.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Upon taking it out of the box, the first thing that caught my attention was how light weight it was. I'm a sucker for really light weight shoes and I was intrigued even more! The Xtep 160X, a narrow bifurcated curved carbon plated racer with a Pebax based midsole and a surprisingly thin yet stretchy monolayer upper is basically their flagship shoe. From what I gathered online, the 160X basically holds the second fastest Chinese marathon record in Dong Guojian at 2:08:28. Impressive, if you ask me, especially when even in my dreams (<i>or nightmares)</i> I won't be able to achieve anything remotely near those kinds of pace, well maybe for a whole 200 metres or so ... hahaha!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyNJcSfmq33fx3TAY6owumBW6Ka01ssGc2fAXDhN4N3vgPwJBgGjs0uayes32f56Xbos8CpnF1FcOUPlLf22SdkhDm8qdeFvJc87Fst5boB9-Mnfa9W6GKGRc1splEzxyZsebsS8itp1U/s2027/IMG_20210807_180217_253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1311" data-original-width="2027" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyNJcSfmq33fx3TAY6owumBW6Ka01ssGc2fAXDhN4N3vgPwJBgGjs0uayes32f56Xbos8CpnF1FcOUPlLf22SdkhDm8qdeFvJc87Fst5boB9-Mnfa9W6GKGRc1splEzxyZsebsS8itp1U/w640-h414/IMG_20210807_180217_253.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The colour I got was the Red colourway and it was pretty flashy with the gold logos all around, not really a problem since I like flashy shoes. As I said, the 160X is a light weight marathon racer and the US9, which is what I wear weighed only 6.9oz! The fit for me was true to size though I read that many had sizing issues and suggested sizing up a little. I couldn't find much data on the stack height and pulled this off Doctors of Running - the forefoot comes in at 28mm with a heel drop of 31mm thus making this a 3mm drop shoe. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The monolayer upper is made up of a really, and I mean really thin yet stretchy material. It was so thin that breathability was absolutely no issue. You could feel the cool air flowing through the shoes and I really, really like that. In fact the thin upper produced an accidental effect of turning the red upper to slightly different shades depending on the colour of your socks as I found out when I happened to see a pink tinge from the white socks I was wearing :). But seriously, I loved how breathable the upper was. I thought my Puma Liberate has a thin upper, this one was even thinner!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxUKgzC3ElFdaN5D_5JIU_nbV37COv8L5Jq3b5dt61vO5QI2qXazX83MeJkx4OLWyKv83JYyGvGoNBogpDcMp5wK9ncJdlbODS-UOIrtnBpWe-d2EojnGmL65ed1-yNT1H4Sb-hA49F7Y/s2048/IMG_20210807_154839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxUKgzC3ElFdaN5D_5JIU_nbV37COv8L5Jq3b5dt61vO5QI2qXazX83MeJkx4OLWyKv83JYyGvGoNBogpDcMp5wK9ncJdlbODS-UOIrtnBpWe-d2EojnGmL65ed1-yNT1H4Sb-hA49F7Y/w640-h480/IMG_20210807_154839.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The midsole is made up of proprietary Pebax called X-Dynamic Foam that feels similar to PEBA foam and feels bouncy yet firm and stable. The foam bounces you nicely along at faster paces as I discovered and had a nice spring to it. That said, the midfoot is pretty narrow <i>(thankfully I have narrow feet)</i> and doesn't give you total ground contact. The full length carbon plate <i>(named Adaptive Carbon Fibre Propulsion System-Stabel Rebound, a mouthful, I know)</i> from what little experience I have in them feels rigid but creates a nice lively and poppy ride. You can see the carbon fibre under the foot bed through the outsole of the shoe. I was surprised as I actually like the feel of the snappiness of the carbon plate which is due to the midsole cushioning dampening the harshness of the carbon plate.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The forefoot has a surprising amount of flexibility making the 160X just as good for those easy runs or even if you wanna take it up a notch or two. With the generous cushioning underfoot, the Xtep 160X is pretty versatile as a lightweight trainer, workout shoe or a long distance racer. The heel is highly cushioned, rigid through the midfoot and flexes a little more up front and really works as an excellent performance trainer.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDU3R4DWT9G6TfvQtyv3TVTfYrB1xm8A8_IcdV_6RQAJOv83hXcd7gjaggRldgOA8fkIh6TggeSd27vMaP7Ci_QW6R0Cnm6yZTnizD2l3WZy-tXZ5YWnkqfl9KtDDGyTyUsrV89s2UyvGW/s2048/IMG_20210807_180326_359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDU3R4DWT9G6TfvQtyv3TVTfYrB1xm8A8_IcdV_6RQAJOv83hXcd7gjaggRldgOA8fkIh6TggeSd27vMaP7Ci_QW6R0Cnm6yZTnizD2l3WZy-tXZ5YWnkqfl9KtDDGyTyUsrV89s2UyvGW/w640-h480/IMG_20210807_180326_359.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The outsole here deserves some kudos. Xtep has done a great job with it. The outsole is thin but durable and the thinness of the rubber actually makes it very pliable. There is sufficient rubber covering the entirety of outsole and I'm guessing the durability is going to be fantastic based on the wear or hardly any wear for the duration I've been using the shoe. The grip on wet and slippery roads are excellent and I can attest to this as I've run them in wet weather conditions. <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">What do I think of them? I've put 50km on them to date and for one who was not too keen on carbon plated shoes before, I'm genuinely liking them. The Xtep 160X was built as a distance racer. I've run them both at slower and faster paces and it works just as well for both. When I needed to speed up from a slow to a faster pace, they took on the challenge easily. My easy runs have felt great with them and my faster paced runs felt so effortless to build up to. There is enough cushioning to use the Xtep 160X as a lightweight trainer and with the carbon plate in there to help things along, converting this to a marathon trainer is just as easy.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QmG5_7KmSeqzqjcBLtOXOUphxw_1wlwmcxJW0F9nrelNY7CLUQWtIsj7ROQlaFxaEuSLouvmJq8OoxcxiwyuHE9MrM6j0e5c4GZWrZHPYdtC02gq1y201K25pWnOW2AUi5WPgcoJ1igu/s2048/IMG_20210807_180757_586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QmG5_7KmSeqzqjcBLtOXOUphxw_1wlwmcxJW0F9nrelNY7CLUQWtIsj7ROQlaFxaEuSLouvmJq8OoxcxiwyuHE9MrM6j0e5c4GZWrZHPYdtC02gq1y201K25pWnOW2AUi5WPgcoJ1igu/w640-h480/IMG_20210807_180757_586.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I've not run long in them, the max was a 10km but I've used them for various paces and they worked equally well for slow <i>(7:20 pace)</i> or faster <i>(4:46 pace)</i> paces. My only annoyance was how loud they were. I'm a very light footed runner and even then, I still felt like I was hammering on bongo drums as I ran by. It doesn't help that I run so early in the morning when the roads are so quiet. A little tip here, thin socks don't work with the shoe cos my foot tended to slide in them too much but changing to a thicker socks solved that issue, so that's something to take note of.<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Would I recommend the Xtep 160X v1? Yes, I most definitely would. Being a lot more affordable than the bigger name carbon plated shoes out there, this would be a great starting point to find out if carbon plated shoes work for you. The version I tested was the first version, they've now released the Version 2 which I've yet to try and from what I've read, it's quite an improvement. That said, I'm also looking forward to the 300X slated for release next year. It's a mighty fine looking shoe.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw0aj41ZBJQLYdOWRwSEcPBamgYwmZ5U-dvwy5pXwa5Lk-g7xSaeBLo9j-mrAZ4BwHQIo8mD4KHKZldlrUGHkrHDQSO4ySVWlMAiqOQMTAT-lORYoV6RF3p2fdCZhMe4oRBg3Qh1ncuUX4/s1080/Screenshot_20210811-171822__01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="1080" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw0aj41ZBJQLYdOWRwSEcPBamgYwmZ5U-dvwy5pXwa5Lk-g7xSaeBLo9j-mrAZ4BwHQIo8mD4KHKZldlrUGHkrHDQSO4ySVWlMAiqOQMTAT-lORYoV6RF3p2fdCZhMe4oRBg3Qh1ncuUX4/w640-h526/Screenshot_20210811-171822__01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> If you are interested in purchasing a pair, use discount code NP15 for a 15% discount for your purchases and if you've a group of 6 people interested to purchase as a group order, Xtep Malaysia will work out a further special additional discount. Just leave me a message if you'd like to know more.<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The pair of Xtep 160X v1 in this review was kindly provided Xtep Malaysia and this review is my own personal opinion and experience and is no way influenced by Xtep in any way. For more details on Xtep shoes and it's various other running products, click <a href="https://global.xtep.com/">here</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3gMmiVpHghYQ_a6dl8kW0lgtZe4dowsEiexVgPlA2H1N5jtkXG0nvSq4wpgmAPZKnPnfcD28-TPHm40bJR0dY8u5h4FjTA3jmSCj1lNE1HOc1R0Ho6jmsIUrJD0hZm6v3F-NqQzraV-3/s2048/IMG_20210807_180739_468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3gMmiVpHghYQ_a6dl8kW0lgtZe4dowsEiexVgPlA2H1N5jtkXG0nvSq4wpgmAPZKnPnfcD28-TPHm40bJR0dY8u5h4FjTA3jmSCj1lNE1HOc1R0Ho6jmsIUrJD0hZm6v3F-NqQzraV-3/w640-h480/IMG_20210807_180739_468.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-59848328390608239802021-08-13T15:04:00.000+08:002021-08-13T15:04:26.358+08:00THE ASICS GEL - KAYANO ™ 28 LAUNCH<p style="text-align: justify;"><b>ASICS
LAUNCHES THE
GEL
-
KAYANO
™
28
,
DELIVERING
ITS
TRADEMARK STABILITY WITH AN EVEN SMOOTHER RIDE</b></p><div style="text-align: justify;">* A favourite among runners for over a quarter of a century, the
GEL
-
KAYANO™ 28
shoe
gets even better with the addition of FF BLAST
™
cushioning.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">* A newly
designed low
-
profile heel structure
enables an efficient toe
-
off and
stable ride
, offering
excellent. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJCy2wMAyP8iKNzPdW4ND1-G_qbLZngbpKJCK-wCZn51tyF2ih72JoAKypPoVmOtZyStPQhIJaMMQFqqbIIAEQc0Etuc7M41KObCRyKLLu82_nH6RUz0D_SwRkGooKS2IPGszug2xdMLT/s2048/Asics-Kayano-28.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="2048" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJCy2wMAyP8iKNzPdW4ND1-G_qbLZngbpKJCK-wCZn51tyF2ih72JoAKypPoVmOtZyStPQhIJaMMQFqqbIIAEQc0Etuc7M41KObCRyKLLu82_nH6RUz0D_SwRkGooKS2IPGszug2xdMLT/w640-h341/Asics-Kayano-28.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>(August 13, 2021
–
KUALA LUMPUR)</b> - ASICS
today
is
launching the new
GEL
-
KAYANO™
28
,
a shoe boasting the signature
GEL
-
KAYANO™
stability
with a softer
and smoother ride.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The
GEL
-
KAYANO
™
28 features a newly designed low
-
profile External Heel Counter
and DYNAMIC DUOMAX
™
technology
which
combine to set
the runner up for an
efficient toe
-
off, without excessive inward roll of the foot.
At the toe
-
off stage of the
stride, F
F
BLAST™ foam provides lightweight cushioning and a responsive rebound
,
providing a more dynamic feel.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To improve further on the much
-
loved formula of the
GEL
-
KAYANO
™ 28
, ASICS has
married
the newly infused
FF BLAST™
foam material
with
the full
-
ground contact and
gender
-
specific 3D SPACE CONSTRUCTION
™
technology
to
create
an
even softer and
smoother ride, increasing overall comfort.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxmd5ZkehIDpFSgyeGffAbYQoHXUg9ldMt8wRO1fxDpn1cwOkx6qmf7U14gnAOuqoIJB69boEsoTUJjtDUeQQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This
new
model
offers runners with a dependable choice of shoe in which to take part
in ASICS’
mission to move one million minds in 2021.
O
n Global Running
Day
2021,
ASICS is challenging runners everywhere
to
get
active alongside thousands
of other runners around the world
by
taking part in a World Uplifting Mind <span style="text-align: left;">Run,
available via the Race Roster
™
and ASICS
Runkeeper
™
apps, to see the impact
of movement on their mind first
-
hand with the
Mind
Uplifter
™
.
To capitalize on the
momentum built on Global Running Day, a World Uplifting Minds Run Series will
follow, providing opportunities to participate in the sport throughout June.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">The
GEL
-
KAYANO™ 28
will be available from
August 13,
2021.
The
shoe will retail for
RM699.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">To find out more about the products, please visit
<a href="http://asics.com">asics.com</a>.</span></div><br />Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-88579782042600116492021-08-02T15:00:00.001+08:002021-08-02T15:09:02.565+08:00PRESS RELEASE - ASICS TO UPLIFT ONE MILLION MINDS THROUGH SPORT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOTLbUgHvzg1SUgh-x96EeTelW1h_jBotwdC3w9bgIKCKdsqsTas3fZFOz70BSMiyzMKF3-ZoGT3srgoEkjV8uIN-gKie3zMQ0TizDZKwQSPWiAgvbFADq7gpJ1671e40dxFnFhnGZw-z/s1401/asics-seeklogo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="1401" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOTLbUgHvzg1SUgh-x96EeTelW1h_jBotwdC3w9bgIKCKdsqsTas3fZFOz70BSMiyzMKF3-ZoGT3srgoEkjV8uIN-gKie3zMQ0TizDZKwQSPWiAgvbFADq7gpJ1671e40dxFnFhnGZw-z/w640-h236/asics-seeklogo.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">ASICS invites the world to move and see how sport uplifts their
own
mind
and
their
nation as
a
whole.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>2 August 2021</b>, <b>KUALA LUMPUR</b> -
ASICS today invites the world to experience
the
uplifting
power
of
sport
and
be
part
of
the
world’s
first
live
study
into
the
impact
of
movement on the mind. ASICS is inspiring people to move and, for the first
time, see
the uplift on their own mind, their city, and their entire nation. Starting
on
Global
Running
Day
2021,
ASICS
is
aiming
to
uplift
a
million
minds
around
the world.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO00xNxU_rZoH-vVZfiU4KpBTalWlyZjuyCsaQ68jHIX8qc7fgk2AsUfTTT-zmvLFzBJQ4VoSSL7fZFaxshfLVFlR7QWihFH5RXEvjfclKfG94GoesH-6LiWidMKtHHBlprybqeRPSzUuQ/s2048/AW21_UpliftingMinds_Athletes_IGA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO00xNxU_rZoH-vVZfiU4KpBTalWlyZjuyCsaQ68jHIX8qc7fgk2AsUfTTT-zmvLFzBJQ4VoSSL7fZFaxshfLVFlR7QWihFH5RXEvjfclKfG94GoesH-6LiWidMKtHHBlprybqeRPSzUuQ/w640-h426/AW21_UpliftingMinds_Athletes_IGA.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The
Mind Uplifter™</b> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">ASICS is enabling everyday athletes all over the world to see, for the
first time,
the
impact of movement on their own mind. Using a combination of facial scanning
technology and self
-
report data collection, people will be able to capture the
impact
of
sport
across
10
emotional
and
cognitive
metrics
-
including
confidence,
positivity,
calm
and
focus
–
to
see
how
different
sports
impact
how
they
think
and
feel.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Uplifting
Minds
Research</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This data will feed into a live global study, capturing individual Mind Uplifts from
around the world and visually transforming them into a
dynamic and interactive
World
Uplift
Map.
The
map
will
quantify
the
positive
impact
that
sport
is
having
on
the
collective mood of cities, nations and the world as a whole. Through the live
study,
ASICS
will
deepen
its
understanding
of
the
relationship
between
movement and the
mind on a global scale, underpinning its belief that sport has
the
power
to
uplift
minds
all
over
the
world</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yasuhito Hirota, the President & COO of ASICS, said
“As we all come to terms
with a
much
-
changed world in the wake of
the pandemic, the uplifting power of
sport is a
constant that endures. That’s why our sole ambition is to empower as
many people as
possible to experience the physical and mental benefits of
movement. By taking part in
any number of our different events a
nd activities
running across the year, you’ll
contribute to vital research to help us further
understand the uplifting effect of sport.
That way we can continue finding new
ways
to
highlight
and
unlock
the
benefits
for
everyone
in
2022
and
beyond.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkcS2J1iXz4FbsX8-SHY-JEnIxNf3kb1diILRm1jn2hGdONgQQKj-V-KYo34dIlNiZvZGkC0JkQHrggurCFZxtDf6X6I2DMiMfY9bwy5RLRdTH4v1a0cOGf2QMiZELrr0auRIlhxFAu2q/s2048/WUM+landing+page.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="2048" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkcS2J1iXz4FbsX8-SHY-JEnIxNf3kb1diILRm1jn2hGdONgQQKj-V-KYo34dIlNiZvZGkC0JkQHrggurCFZxtDf6X6I2DMiMfY9bwy5RLRdTH4v1a0cOGf2QMiZELrr0auRIlhxFAu2q/w640-h352/WUM+landing+page.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Underpinned
by
Science</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Over the past six months, ASICS has conducted scientific research alongside
world
-
leading experts to explore the impact of sport on the mind among a select
group of
athletes
ahead
of
the
live
study’s
wider rollout.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The
preliminary
study
was
developed
by
EMOTIV,
a
market
-
leading
bioinformatics
company headquartered in San Francisco, with the support of Dr
Brendon
Stubbs,
a
leading
exercise
and
mental
health
researcher
based
at
King’s
College London. The study
used a combination of
EEG and self
-
report data
collection
to
prove
the
positive
impact
of
running
on
the
mind
across
a number
of
core cognitive and emotional metrics
–
including contentment (14.4% average
increase immediately after exercise), energy
(9.7%) and relaxation (13.3%
) *
–
among
a
sample
of
42
elite
and
everyday
athletes. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now ASICS is robustly applying the findings in a way that will enable the rollout
of
the
study
on
a
global
scale,
enabling
athletes
everywhere
to
see
and
experience the impact
of movement on the mind
first
-
hand for any one of 25
different
sports of
their
choosing. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwr1BKdKQX_ljpZZYdZbalTYKhs2x28NKha6Zv8MDL9asF9pdhn-SPXpK9PZUxbx5aui9z2SWB6QyS2okf6FMlbaoYdFnpd-hPATXLrqdF924kLgXC_5JSkQsiddImobRpbFWneAQnKEq/s2048/WUM+sport+view.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="2048" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwr1BKdKQX_ljpZZYdZbalTYKhs2x28NKha6Zv8MDL9asF9pdhn-SPXpK9PZUxbx5aui9z2SWB6QyS2okf6FMlbaoYdFnpd-hPATXLrqdF924kLgXC_5JSkQsiddImobRpbFWneAQnKEq/w640-h350/WUM+sport+view.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dr Stubbs commented:
“Our preliminary research findings outline the profound
impact
that
something
as
simple
as
a
20
-
minute
run
can
have
on
our
minds.
With
exercise
playing such a valuable
role in the maintaining of our mental health and
wellbeing, it is
more important than ever that people can see and understand the
positive
link
between
the
two.
The
unique
way
in
which
we
are
applying
our
initial
findings using robust EEG
measures, validating the Mind Uplifter™, will enable
the translation of this research for
people everywhere to experience and reliably
measure the uplifting power of sport like
never before. Our ambition is to inspire
as many people as possible to move their mind
and reap those all
-
important
cognitive
and
emotional benefits for themselves.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This World Uplift Map is part of the first live global study to show how different sports
impact the cognitive and emotional state of people all over the world with the recently
launched ASICS Mind Uplifter
™. This World Uplift Map can be filtered by different traits,
sports and events.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So far, the data reveals that sport is having the biggest impact on emotional uplift, with
participants around the world revealing that after exercise they are 16% more energized,
11% more confident and 9% calmer
–
showing just how important sport is in boosting our
mental wellbeing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Initial results from the live study show that basketball (+27% increase in emotional uplift)
is currently generating the highest degree of
emotional uplift of any sport post
-
exercise,
with fitness classes (+16% increase in emotional uplift) and the most popular sport to
date, running (+10% increase in emotional uplift) also among the leading sports so far.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">Launched to mark the start of ASICS’ mission to uplift one million minds across the world
in 2021, the Mind Uplifter™ tool enables users to see the impact different sports can have
on their mind across 10 emotional and cognitive metrics, using a combination of facial
-
scanning and self
-
report data collection.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPxUGmKXVX4VPsCx9YGQKgWmSvIPJzqvn3Oe3FixnjY71t79htqkUCLhRqH06A9tyj6cFQc0YZdi4MCQm7HIpsxGZvf2e89cDjlExJgZ0yy05oTaSTbgeOGXAlCVqtPIbnLxL2S402vEE/s3264/Uplift-How-To-Guide.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="3264" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPxUGmKXVX4VPsCx9YGQKgWmSvIPJzqvn3Oe3FixnjY71t79htqkUCLhRqH06A9tyj6cFQc0YZdi4MCQm7HIpsxGZvf2e89cDjlExJgZ0yy05oTaSTbgeOGXAlCVqtPIbnLxL2S402vEE/w640-h108/Uplift-How-To-Guide.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Join
the
Movement
All participants are encouraged to share their results on social media using
#UpliftingMinds, showing how different sports impact their mind in different ways.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To
get
involved,
and
join
the
world’s
first
live
study
into
the
impact
of
movement
on
the
mind:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1.
GO
to
<a href="http://minduplifter.asics.com">minduplifter.asics.com</a>
to
capture
your
Mind
Uplift.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2.
SCAN
your
face
to
read
your
emotional
state.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3.
ANSWER
scientifically
developed
questions
to
gauge
your
brain
function.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4.
COMPLETE
at
least
20
minutes
of exercise
to
uplift
your
mind.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5.
REPEAT
steps
two
and
three.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">6.
GET
your
Mind
Uplift
results
and
SHARE
them
on
your
social
channels.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">7.
SEE
how
your
results
contribute
to the
World
Uplift
Map
(from
1
August
)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">To
find
out
more
about
ASICS’
mission
to
move
one
million
minds
visit:
<a href="https://asics.tv/3laXiZL">https://asics.tv/3laXiZL</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-43585566782823284142021-07-29T11:28:00.001+08:002021-07-29T11:29:43.772+08:00PRESS RELEASE - DISTRICT RACE MALAYSIA BY AIA VITALITY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBufuO08NWWAM5DTZQLMftxf2Au2PSEcZix-m2R7evOagfdewRn9wVNB2ApJYfoHE0AvWZp7e7ZfumEgTKUictr2fJkbNoLQX6ed371Mty0TzFX8OXdwHHxJzWwO4bQAsLrQQs0Bh5VmH/s1881/Untitled-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="1881" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBufuO08NWWAM5DTZQLMftxf2Au2PSEcZix-m2R7evOagfdewRn9wVNB2ApJYfoHE0AvWZp7e7ZfumEgTKUictr2fJkbNoLQX6ed371Mty0TzFX8OXdwHHxJzWwO4bQAsLrQQs0Bh5VmH/w640-h242/Untitled-1.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">DISTRICT RACE MALAYSIA BY AIA VITALITY, THE WORLD’S
GREATEST EXPLORATION RACE ATTRACTED MORE THAN 11,000
RUNNERS</p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">● The
free -
to
-
participate
event returned
with
AIA Vitality
as the
presenting sponsor,
inspiring
Malaysians
to
stay active
while
living in
the
new normal
.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">●
Malaysians ran together for a mutual cause;
raising
RM50,
000.00
for
the National Cancer Society
Malaysia (NCSM)
during
the special Get Fit For Charity Campaign
in conjunction with
Ramadan</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">●
Chong
Zee Min
from Penang
was
named
the lucky winner to take home the grand prize of a
brand new Proton X50</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">●
Over 40 prizes including
Garmin watches and adidas gear
was
also
given away to
lucky winners.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Maintaining
one’s
health during this challenging time has not been easy
, especially
in the past six months
where various movement control orders were put in place due to the rising number of COVID
-
19 cases. It
is undeniable that
the
COVID
-
19 pandemic has put a hold on many things, with mass participation events
being one of them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Adapting to the various challenges caused by the pandemic,
District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality
rose to
the occasion and
made a return as an augmented reality event by providing a
digitally
engaging and fun
urban exploration experience.
This year’s event was
made even more attractive
as participation was free
and made available nationwide
. This gave equal opportunities for
runners across Malaysia
to
participate
in the event.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tYECwVeOYlEYMrE8Kkn-q236tDELsp_Xx6OtOf6xFNZbgcQ9qTyfvODMd1cdJ9gJEQXRrMYN3YMcPmMqEzPosJApTKHNGPGUtK0iQiMCXk8LLGjU_d8cECw2pTeGmoDUwBei57_5czST/s1225/pngwing.com.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="1225" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tYECwVeOYlEYMrE8Kkn-q236tDELsp_Xx6OtOf6xFNZbgcQ9qTyfvODMd1cdJ9gJEQXRrMYN3YMcPmMqEzPosJApTKHNGPGUtK0iQiMCXk8LLGjU_d8cECw2pTeGmoDUwBei57_5czST/w640-h173/pngwing.com.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality was launched on 1 March 2021,
providing
users
with a fun way
to
lead an active life
to stay happy and healthy
during these trying times.
The 4
-
month long event became
an instant hit with avid casual runners in Malaysia; including non
-
runners who
just enjoyed
casual walks. The event
has
managed to
exceed
its
initial
target
of
10,000
sign
-
ups
, with over
11,000
participants
registered on the District app
, all vying for the opportunity to take ho
me the
grand prize, the brand
new
Proton X50.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the contributing factors to the overwhelming response was the flexibility of participation
-
making it
easy for runners to choose the when, where and how of their participation.
The District app was
enhanced to be even more
user
-
friendly
–
by simply stepping out of the house, switching on the app,
pressing start and navigating their journey towards checkpoints to earn points. With no set route or
distance and checkpoints made available everywhere, explorers were able to create their own strategy
and choose how they wanted to explore. Whether by walking or running, everyone got to participate at
their own pace.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Participants were also able to link their GPS supported wearable device
s
to the
District
app
and earn
points for
any
walking or running
activities
. The points collected
on the
wearable were then
credited
towards the overall leaderboard.
The prizes up for grabs via lucky draw included
over
40
items
such as
Garmin
watches and adidas gear
, as well as
a
brand
-
new
Proton X50, which undoubtedly was the main
attraction.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jvOyhX2ARHiAvrVsoyVI_GA5IzuRtPjyICXFR-x7LVyUiA9NtMFaVZQcbUlyLpvM13CKr9DUwIZ2jmuAo2rBPRq7uaqCg9gU9FxzeFSpbAwwL1ipCWgi0SRG4kkJLwcIhvZ0vUZ2Ft19/s1875/Untitled-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="1875" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jvOyhX2ARHiAvrVsoyVI_GA5IzuRtPjyICXFR-x7LVyUiA9NtMFaVZQcbUlyLpvM13CKr9DUwIZ2jmuAo2rBPRq7uaqCg9gU9FxzeFSpbAwwL1ipCWgi0SRG4kkJLwcIhvZ0vUZ2Ft19/w640-h254/Untitled-2.png" width="640" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Josh Tendler, Head of Marketing, District Technologies</b>
said, <i>“The
COVID
-
19
pandemic has affected
many planned events worldwide, and
mass participation events
especially are not excused.
The event
cancellation is definitely felt by runners everywhere. That is why we decided to do a digital race for this
year. What
the
digital event lacks in the physical interactions, it makes up for in
flexibility. Participants get
to choose how and when t
o do the race at their convenience
,
while collecting points
,
being healthy
, and
unlocking Augmented Reality selfie filters
. In my opinion, one of the silver linings of the pandemic is we
now found new ways to connect with our loved ones, others around the
community, either by staying
active together or just enjoy their companion through virtual interactions and reaching collective goals
together.
We would like to thank AIA for helping to make District Race’s vision in providing an engaging
and fun urban exploration experience a reality as well as their support for the second year in a row.
”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Heng Zee Wang, Chief Marketing Officer, AIA Bhd.</b>
said, <i>“I would like to congratulate the winners and
the participants of District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality for
their
amazing achievements despite the
current circumstances. We hope that this event has inspired Malaysians from all walks of life to maintain
an active and healthy lifestyle during these challenging times. We would like to express our appreciation
to District Technologies for successfully executing a digital event that benefitted many Malaysians
and we
look forward to supporting many more exciting initiatives like this as part of our efforts to help people
achieve Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Chong Zee
Min
emerged
as the lucky winner to bring home the most coveted prize;
the all
-
new
and free
Proton X50.
Participants received 1 entry to the
lucky draw for every
activity of over
2,000+ points
in the
District app.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCU079Keml8kUYZUirPvQdmQnysfcpnTtkypiXUe5imLfoXX65aQjzpV42CfeyMt9tfVmOtMe8mWfooEFlh9I8pMnX0kP_7x3DKzkZ_YMwIIvV8zjG-BFEowXqWR3bInYo5d53csEaBzb/s2048/Chong+Zee+Min%252C+lucky+car+competition+winner+who+is+taking+home+a+brand+new+Proton+X50.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1511" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCU079Keml8kUYZUirPvQdmQnysfcpnTtkypiXUe5imLfoXX65aQjzpV42CfeyMt9tfVmOtMe8mWfooEFlh9I8pMnX0kP_7x3DKzkZ_YMwIIvV8zjG-BFEowXqWR3bInYo5d53csEaBzb/w472-h640/Chong+Zee+Min%252C+lucky+car+competition+winner+who+is+taking+home+a+brand+new+Proton+X50.jpeg" title="Chong Zee Min, lucky car competition winner who is taking home… new Proton X50" width="472" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chong Zee Min, Winner of the new Proton X50</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Chong
was surprised when
she
learned of
the news. <i>“The event itself inspired me most as it turns
exercising into a fun and unique experience while exploring many different and interesting areas of my
city that I would have otherwise missed out. I am thrilled have won the grand prize, a brand new
Proton
X50. Such an unexpected sweet surprise! This is a massive bonus coupled with a sense of achievement.
I am truly delighted!”</i> said
Chong, 31, from Penang.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Amongst the other prizes presented
were Garmin
watches
and adidas merchandise to the Top 3 Overall
Male
and
Female Champions, as well as merchandise packs to the Biggest Team Overall.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">For Overall Male, the first place was taken by
Jimmy Lim, taking home the Garmin Fenix Watch, followed
by
Chew Soon Yong
in second place and
Yew Hoe Liew
in third
place, winning them the RM1,000 and
RM500 adidas vouchers respectively.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsD7f7QDqRB_JbRYsivIj_8Ez4-vICyUPcgGhZMvcM8yCi0x-xwFiqs94aXCgVm49A3g1yGe1pU3rn9dzs8NK8JYg6bM78nptZC7Hmafv2Dr7Yh2hzk6pJMUqfYK2bK0ydcAJT6boRSIby/s1797/Chew+Soon+Yong%252C+2nd+place+Male+Overall+in+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1797" data-original-width="1125" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsD7f7QDqRB_JbRYsivIj_8Ez4-vICyUPcgGhZMvcM8yCi0x-xwFiqs94aXCgVm49A3g1yGe1pU3rn9dzs8NK8JYg6bM78nptZC7Hmafv2Dr7Yh2hzk6pJMUqfYK2bK0ydcAJT6boRSIby/w400-h640/Chew+Soon+Yong%252C+2nd+place+Male+Overall+in+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chew Soon Yong, 2nd place male overall</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">For Overall Female, the Garmin Fenix Watch was won by first placed
Lynn Ooi, followed by
Ooi
Ai Lyn
in
second place and
Teoh Seow Sian
in third place, also taking home the RM1,000
and RM500 adidas
vouchers respectively.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLs1bU_LqM18HNu5WrjGeLLNXomNCTRM69Bqr0TR2EuWrofb3IWVGS9ojNqxh7vCCbs0AXUlvHKW9r8lR_H7jfj1JRJOcZIsAIDYLJdgzgihMLp0Y21GvwgVL_uHMwCra2OVfEm-YmRiiC/s1920/Lynn+Ooi%252C+1st+place+Female+Overall+in+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLs1bU_LqM18HNu5WrjGeLLNXomNCTRM69Bqr0TR2EuWrofb3IWVGS9ojNqxh7vCCbs0AXUlvHKW9r8lR_H7jfj1JRJOcZIsAIDYLJdgzgihMLp0Y21GvwgVL_uHMwCra2OVfEm-YmRiiC/w360-h640/Lynn+Ooi%252C+1st+place+Female+Overall+in+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality+%25282%2529.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lynn Ooi, 1st place female overall</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">The Biggest Overall Team,
AIA District Family, with a total of
40
members, took home free merchandise
packs for each member.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality also hosted a series of campaigns throughout the 4
-
month long
event to give runners more reasons to participate.
I
n conjunction with Ramadan this year, the Get Fit
F
or
Charity
campaign
was conducted
, rallying runners across Malaysia to come together in solidarity for the
National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM). The challenge was to collectively hit the goal of 5,000,000
points,
with
AIA
committing
to
donate
RM1 for every 100 points scored during the
campaign period
. While
the challenge was
set
for 12 April
–
16 May 2021, the target was met well ahead of time, hitting the
overall goal
by 4 May 2021.
Thanks to the collective efforts of the runners, the charity engagement was
an overwhelming success with
RM 50,000
.00
raised and donated to NCSM.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Besides collecting points for the charity, the Top Average Team Score Challenge
was
also
conducted to
incentivize
runners to keep
their
points rolling
.
Team Sonic
took home
RM10,000.00 cash
after
accumulating
an average of 289,000+ points per team member.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">In June
2021
,
the Social Media Contest
went live
, asking users to
post a photo, video or story to their
Facebook or Instagram
taking
part in District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality
, along with proof of an
activity
of at least 2,000 points
.
The
lucky
winners were chosen based on their creativity and walked away with
prizes such as
Garmin watches, adidas vouchers, and Garmin merchandise
packs.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">For more information, follow @DistrictRaceMY on Facebook and Instagram.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-weight: bold;">
About District (
exploredistrict.com
)</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Contact:
Chris Cable
,
Head of
Events
, +6
017 349 2342
,
<a href="mailto:Chris@districtrace.com">Chris@districtrace.com</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">District is a ground
-
breaking
technology platform that encourages people to lead active, healthy lifestyles
through the District app. With no set route or distance, participants choose how they explore the city, by
completing virtual checkpoints and challenges to accumulate the most points within the race time limit.
The app makes use of augmented reality, location
-
based technologies, and gamification to create a unique experiential running experience for participants.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>About AIA Vitality</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">AIA Vitality is Asia’s first and only comprehensive science
-
backed health programme. It provides
members with the knowledge, tools and motivation to bring about long
-
term positive behavioural changes
to lead a healthier life. AIA Vitality members are incentivised to actively engage in health and wellness
activities by offering them a range of benefits including extra insurance benefits on selected insurance
and Takaful plans as well as savings and discounts from AIA Vitality partners.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>About AIA Bhd.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">AIA
Bhd. is a leading insurer in Malaysia, where we have been privileged to do business since 1948. We
offer a suite of financial solutions including Protection, Health, Personal Accident, Employee Benefits,
General Insurance, Mortgage, Retirement and Family Takaful products to meet our customers’ protection
and financial security needs at every life stage. Through our wide and diverse distribution footprint which
comprises of a 19,000 strong Life Planner force, our exclusive bank partner’s branches nationwide
as
well as corporate sales teams and brokers, we give our customers the choice of deciding how, when and
where they connect with us.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Part of the AIA Group, the largest independent publicly listed pan
-
Asian life insurance group, AIA Bhd.
has the financial strength, experience, service centre network and a well
-
trained team of more than 2,600
employees to serve our
4
million customers nationwide. As at 30 June 2020, AIA Bhd.’s total asset worth
was RM57.45 billion, with a paid
-
up capital of RM810 million.</div>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-87807784113687872562021-07-22T18:05:00.003+08:002021-07-22T18:07:02.548+08:00Salming Greyhound Promotion<p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://m.facebook.com/SalmingMalaysiaOfficial/">Salming Malaysia</a> is having a promotion on their latest performance running model, the Salming Greyhound from now until stocks run out.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The promotion offers a pair of Greyhound shoes plus a pair of socks <i>(normal price RM685.00 for both) </i>at only <b>RM485.00</b> or a choice of Greyhound shoes plus a choice of Sandviken tee <i>(normal price RM850 for both)</i> at only <b>RM589.00</b> during this promotion period.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOvfnAY4LUBqJQAmdZGOv7g5qX9ORff_WuohGsB2ZWFGKYEK8i7KFZCUhHt93ofnmTQFhqi-S6PC7IA298X6KWyIqU8k8Za02cULyIFeomC1W3_KnvJUbPQvfHIZv9iiE2kwqL_HOPwpOp/s1080/IMG-20210722-WA0004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOvfnAY4LUBqJQAmdZGOv7g5qX9ORff_WuohGsB2ZWFGKYEK8i7KFZCUhHt93ofnmTQFhqi-S6PC7IA298X6KWyIqU8k8Za02cULyIFeomC1W3_KnvJUbPQvfHIZv9iiE2kwqL_HOPwpOp/w400-h400/IMG-20210722-WA0004.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADM1D42eleU01ApZDoPXTPKNtlbwHdALqjFn5QCU1p27txogpN0ObLv1VvA84MllcA7AqyDPbUaR2hWgcS6IdKB296zZgJJ0aNBvuH2NasU5Xn22vEECsWvEzufBrV-K9a3Q66cesu2Ft/s1080/IMG-20210722-WA0005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADM1D42eleU01ApZDoPXTPKNtlbwHdALqjFn5QCU1p27txogpN0ObLv1VvA84MllcA7AqyDPbUaR2hWgcS6IdKB296zZgJJ0aNBvuH2NasU5Xn22vEECsWvEzufBrV-K9a3Q66cesu2Ft/w400-h400/IMG-20210722-WA0005.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The Salming Grey Salming house is a great pair of shoes that you can use as your daily trainer or even for those long, easy runs. Heavily cushioned yet responsive enough for just about anything you may throw at it</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Hurry though, the promotion runs for asing as stock is available. </p>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-35254026973598077822021-07-19T12:13:00.006+08:002021-07-19T12:53:55.827+08:00ASICS Celebration Of Sports Collection<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>ASICS CELEBRATES UPLIFTING POWER OF SPORT WITH NEW FOOTWEAR AND APPAREL COLLECTION</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Vibrant and colorful design of the <b>CELEBRATION OF SPORT COLLECTION</b> is inspired by sport’s ability to uplift the world</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJpueuVddOeD6ZUIIbm-Muu3KHrcH1pnrlAz3KeMVOfsi6efDBZ575XBzH1umEmZ1ycFfVyD-vuZmp3FZMiEUwGXZMhIpNgRWJHk7rHYJkf6ameirhvQoyNnnTA4Sn-tlqekYbNGdYMwN/s711/image003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="711" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJpueuVddOeD6ZUIIbm-Muu3KHrcH1pnrlAz3KeMVOfsi6efDBZ575XBzH1umEmZ1ycFfVyD-vuZmp3FZMiEUwGXZMhIpNgRWJHk7rHYJkf6ameirhvQoyNnnTA4Sn-tlqekYbNGdYMwN/w640-h360/image003.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>[July </b></span><b style="font-family: helvetica;">15 2021 – KUALA LUMPUR]</b><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> – ASICS today is launching its new CELEBRATION OF SPORT COLLECTION – a cross-category footwear and apparel collection that celebrates the power of sport to uplift the world.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Launching alongside a full apparel range, the CELEBRATION OF SPORT COLLECTION sees footwear across ASICS’ Performance Running, Core Performance Sport and Sport Style categories given a striking design revamp. Each piece in the collection features bright, bold confetti-style detailing, taking visual cues from the sense of uplift and celebration that sport will inspire across the world in the summer of 2021.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg412kFp9YYPRiZnd0Bn1-SVxwd54iF0u_ctUj1TnqjfIJZU2A47AzoGOKnKXUXcOYSaho-w9_9LSpp_xEDxs7g2rVrZC-CA9GxX_YqAk8rtVcmeuDt8oUOVWWycQVjaYFC8KviNI__-fju/s1920/AW21_CelebrationofSport.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg412kFp9YYPRiZnd0Bn1-SVxwd54iF0u_ctUj1TnqjfIJZU2A47AzoGOKnKXUXcOYSaho-w9_9LSpp_xEDxs7g2rVrZC-CA9GxX_YqAk8rtVcmeuDt8oUOVWWycQVjaYFC8KviNI__-fju/w640-h360/AW21_CelebrationofSport.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><p style="text-align: justify;">The 46-piece collection encompasses more than five different sports, celebrating the power of all sports to uplift the mind. Runners will be among those invited to experience the uplift, with new iterations of the GEL-KAYANO™ 28, offering excellent stability and cushioning underfoot, and NOVABLAST™ 2, with its advanced energy return technology, among the performance running shoes to feature in the range.</p></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tennis and volleyball players will also be able to raise their game and feel the uplift on court with new takes on the supportive, lightweight COURT SPEED™ FF and the responsive NETBURNER BALLISTIC™FF 2. Rounding off the collection meanwhile is an array of re-imagined Sport Style silhouettes, including the GEL-QUANTUM 360™ 6 and GEL-QUANTUM 180™, that celebrate the uplifting power of expression.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbnByKjJSQnYC5wT2dBPuUnnkOtvDlnFqZCK57eMcGbjFmrDljaK97EA_j3nJzw3R5rPHALgmA3BxlErGdRrTb_l3mg7p_pWY97MKqRFrUpz0J8SL1uAFWSDDKs-T8RC_PyWW0j4sHIeU/s1920/AW21_CelebrationofSport+Gel-Quantum3606+-+F2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbnByKjJSQnYC5wT2dBPuUnnkOtvDlnFqZCK57eMcGbjFmrDljaK97EA_j3nJzw3R5rPHALgmA3BxlErGdRrTb_l3mg7p_pWY97MKqRFrUpz0J8SL1uAFWSDDKs-T8RC_PyWW0j4sHIeU/w640-h360/AW21_CelebrationofSport+Gel-Quantum3606+-+F2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><p style="text-align: justify;">So no matter how athletes choose to move their mind, the CELEBRATION OF SPORT COLLECTION has the shoes to get everyone feeling the uplifting effect, all the while enhancing their level of performance so they can experience the positive benefits of uplift more often.</p></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The launch of the CELEBRATION OF SPORT COLLECTION sees ASICS continue its mission to inspire as many as possible to move their mind to experience the uplifting power of sport in 2021.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5cIQA-ge-EtHtMc5JOwEFj0XF8QPtK-7UMpLedIEZMbAFB4uLh1Ng2azlnRGLsmRf_TwG_oqPbF0Ya0hPThTru3bB3fgbGnxwUOuGbv2zHD29uwaSOtIWJhi3_e1nkN-746jp5TK7IQb/s1920/AW21_CelebrationofSport+CorePerformanceSport_Tennis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5cIQA-ge-EtHtMc5JOwEFj0XF8QPtK-7UMpLedIEZMbAFB4uLh1Ng2azlnRGLsmRf_TwG_oqPbF0Ya0hPThTru3bB3fgbGnxwUOuGbv2zHD29uwaSOtIWJhi3_e1nkN-746jp5TK7IQb/w640-h360/AW21_CelebrationofSport+CorePerformanceSport_Tennis.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">CELEBRATION OF SPORT COLLECTION will be available online from now onwards.</span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Find out more about the CELEBRATION OF SPORT COLLECTION <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnfQQ0_M-CE">here</a> or at <a href="http://ASICS.com">ASICS.com</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PnfQQ0_M-CE" width="320" youtube-src-id="PnfQQ0_M-CE"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh711woQsRo6f4ytLotk_nnmhnbPHIl0wDw03IUeQm9GuDdCz4wVLOR6EsJTHipXPDA1O7z-VdiGVQsTKBwhxCsY8EXlbSexIGt_eU7ATCiUjJ71W3lmqP5jD0ReAkyo_ms-IQllnDUD6Rk/s778/kisspng-win-the-white-house-email-hotel-mailchimp-asics-logo-5b12fd7527b5e4.7267093315279711891627.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="778" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh711woQsRo6f4ytLotk_nnmhnbPHIl0wDw03IUeQm9GuDdCz4wVLOR6EsJTHipXPDA1O7z-VdiGVQsTKBwhxCsY8EXlbSexIGt_eU7ATCiUjJ71W3lmqP5jD0ReAkyo_ms-IQllnDUD6Rk/w640-h222/kisspng-win-the-white-house-email-hotel-mailchimp-asics-logo-5b12fd7527b5e4.7267093315279711891627.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-21320179351120667142021-07-09T14:36:00.001+08:002021-07-09T14:36:24.747+08:00Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Half Marathon VR 2021 Race Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ941nvSFfcHwN4tL0xazQJLDOZWAQlDfk7IYI9wKCKX6cl-VQleww3hzB0L7_sQW-a7VW8l5xUkdQX9ZLmrkVJ0YI8SyygnQnaWwtU7DAQtt6tP92wCgMHf9UCEMi-M80pRBjqArG2xGo/s820/GCM21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="820" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ941nvSFfcHwN4tL0xazQJLDOZWAQlDfk7IYI9wKCKX6cl-VQleww3hzB0L7_sQW-a7VW8l5xUkdQX9ZLmrkVJ0YI8SyygnQnaWwtU7DAQtt6tP92wCgMHf9UCEMi-M80pRBjqArG2xGo/w640-h280/GCM21.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I was really hoping things would have improved by this year and we'd get to run the <b>Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon 2021</b> but knew in my heart of hearts that it wouldn't be possible. And true to my expectations, the race was restricted to locals only but this time there was an official VR race for the rest of the world. Unlike the previous year, it wasn't a free event but I wasn't going to miss out on the fun. It took me a while to sign up cos I was contemplating on which event to sign up for, the marathon or the half. Sanity prevailed eventually and I chose the half marathon as I wasn't up to training and running a marathon over here. Granted, I ran all four categories <i>(5.7km, 10km. 21km and 42km)</i> last year but that was generally for fun since the actual event was a no go. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">And so, I signed up for the half marathon which was somewhat doable for me. Then it came to whether I just wanted to wing it or go with a plan, which would require some commitment. Seeing as how I had some demons to pry off my back, I chose to go with a plan, at least there was some focus and goal to work towards. Besides, since I paid for it, I was going to treat it like any race I normally would and earn the finisher shirt and medal. Naturally<i> (and obviously)</i> my choice of plan was the Luke Humphrey Running plan. I chose a 12 week plan based on my current fitness level. A nice mix of a plan that looked very doable to me but LHR plans always looks easier than they actually are.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Armed with a plan, a goal and a prayer, I dived right into it. 12 weeks to get in some semblance of race shape. Health and fitness wise, I was feeling pretty good. My only worry was injuries, something I'm pretty well known for, especially towards the second half of training when things get tougher. I just had to be more aware of my situation this time round to avoid such a fate.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The first week of training was pretty straight forward and easy though it did kick into second gear with fartleks sessions as early as the third day but totally understandable seeing as how it was a short 12 week plan. I tackled every session it threw at me with gusto and generally aced all the harder sessions. The easier sessions were kept real easy and the long runs were moderately paced. The only drawback was I had to keep the sessions around home cos were in an MCO phase and no travelling outside a radius of 10km.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wK3e1q3w9C2LVBQc9lI01RV8klIo-RgD615YQxcVDAabrpwBX7AMt6mtPPrzxrk_MJJ22zZHjQAhAXt90obaMbxQIDPdh_YdPG_1gMiqC2UlCJ2UhI7W1ToKh-g5XElCQ1xiPw6yYJKS/s1200/Bib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wK3e1q3w9C2LVBQc9lI01RV8klIo-RgD615YQxcVDAabrpwBX7AMt6mtPPrzxrk_MJJ22zZHjQAhAXt90obaMbxQIDPdh_YdPG_1gMiqC2UlCJ2UhI7W1ToKh-g5XElCQ1xiPw6yYJKS/w640-h480/Bib.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The training was good overall even with the disappointment of not being able to run my weekend long runs with the crew cos of the MCO, it didn't derail my enthusiasm much. After all my longest run was only 16km and plotting a route here was not too difficult albeit a little tough cos of the rolling inclines here but still doable. As the training progressed, my fitness improved, my pace got more consistent and I was able to hold certain paces for longer stretches. Things were moving along exactly as the plan dictated. After all the backbone of the LHR plan is consistency and some patience was needed to achieve that.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">But the training didn't come without a few scares. Heading into the last 2 weeks or so of the plan, I picked up a buggy knee issue. Damn, I thought, not this again. Late training injury was something I knew all too well. But good thing I was at the last 2 weeks which was heading into taper and the sessions were mostly easy ones. Upon the advice of my wife and a few inspirational friends, I eased off a little and even took 2 days off. One particular advice that resonated through me was from Francis who said <i>"it's better to be under-trained than injured"</i>, and I've already done the hard part at this stage so I wouldn't lose too much taking some off days. Thank God, the buggy knee subsided and no further issues with the knee.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Then came my vaccination appointment, 3 days prior to my race day which I planned to run the same day and time as the actual race start in the Gold Coast. Most of the stories I heard about the vaccination was that you'd get some heavy duty side effects, the likes of fever, headaches, body aches, etc and that didn't bode well for my race in 3 days time. But my ex-water boy and supposed pacer, Choon Yuen gave me some tips on how to avoid or at least diminish any side effects and I followed it. Fortunately I didn't encounter any side effects whatsoever and I still had a day of rest before race day. My route was all plotted out, and I was ready to run the race solo since we still couldn't run with anyone, especially in groups. I was feeling confident.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0PYzLdIt5lmVintydumVT-bIcIkePuWuBipW6Cd5ItaKxsjN8mIaVv2fu8gc1g4Ci_zA3Gm1yNVWlw_SCC84ylmIt0bET9ivetm6FkDRRbedMlEp2h0ww66LAZm2pfhjpENmbCf7xtdK/s2048/IMG_20210623_094222_118-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0PYzLdIt5lmVintydumVT-bIcIkePuWuBipW6Cd5ItaKxsjN8mIaVv2fu8gc1g4Ci_zA3Gm1yNVWlw_SCC84ylmIt0bET9ivetm6FkDRRbedMlEp2h0ww66LAZm2pfhjpENmbCf7xtdK/w640-h640/IMG_20210623_094222_118-01.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> Then came scare number three. The government decided to fully lockdown the states of Selangor and some parts of Kuala Lumpur beginning July 3rd, my planned race day. Being a resident in Selangor that spelt doom for my race. At this same time the news that the actual physical race was cancelled cos of the pandemic resurgence in Australia was also a bummer. I was gutted for them but more so gutted for myself. True, there was a month's grace to run the VR edition but this two week lockdown which I'm sure will be extended is bound to ruin whatever benefits and fitness I derived from my training.<p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">While I always moaned and claimed I didn't have a goal and was just wanting to finish the race, something most in the crew didn't believe, I did have a personal goal to attain. This lockdown would definitely derail that, that is if the lockdown was even lifted without any extensions. All this was going through my mind while at the vaccine centre and I finally decided, to heck with it. If I was feeling good the next day, I'll try to attempt the half marathon a few hours before the actual race start time, while I'm still in the legal limit of outdoor running here. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, 12 hours after my vaccination and bright and early Friday morning, I woke up with no side effects, and feeling very good and decided I'd give the race a go. Wifey was all supportive and gave me heaps of good luck as I headed out the door. I dropped off two bottles of hydration at the guard house along my planned two and half loop route during my warm up and got down to some serious racing. Running a half marathon at race pace with no support was going to be really tough in my neighbourhood, I had to negotiate 2 long inclines at least twice, I couldn't replicate a flat race route like the Gold Coast unfortunately.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I got into pace immediately but was worried if I could actually hold it throughout. I had some things on my side, like a very early start was an advantage cos there were practically no cars on the roads. The place was still dark and the strong winds with threat of rain were pretty cooling, nothing like the Gold Coast but I just pretended it was. I felt strong throughout, something I haven't felt in a long time. By the time I reached 16km or so, I knew that if I could keep my cool and concentration, I could pull off a decent time. I kept my composure and while the last 3km was uphill, I kept the pace going. I'll suffer later, for now, that PR was within sight.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And true enough, I did pull off a PR but it was something I wasn't expecting. I aimed to just break my current half marathon PR but shaving off 4.5 minutes and coming in at 1:46:40 was really not expected but I was ecstatic nonetheless. I sat down by the side of the road catching my breath and basking in the moment all by myself. I missed the fanfare of crossing the finish gantry in the Gold Coast hearing my name called out by the announcer. That will have to wait till next year.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">And with that, my race was done, whether my results submitted would be accepted or not and risk not getting my finisher tee and medal since I ran a few hours earlier didn't matter. I had my demons exorcised and I was elated for that. But I'm happy to say my results were accepted and for that I'm thankful. This is also the first time in a long time that I've avoided an injury leading up to a race. Better understanding, more knowledge and smarter training paid dividends for sure.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Credit and thanks also goes out to my wife for having to put up with another round of my training and for being so supportive throughout. My entire diet and nutrition this time was handled by her and I stuck to it like glue, just the way I stuck to the Luke Humphrey Running plan. And to the crew, thanks for the support though you all knew I was going to drama the crap out of this training and race ... hahaha! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pbRbg0ZlbgJopPqw7MDxJ0S8BC1EBWKWyMqGQB-FNZXv-NYuC7RV7pkM06S7jOJCw5Ht1oomr-uhZxSbCsNqViON-CxCCJ5u1SsCwTB-4jSx9YAnMsNACnI4WGObytWjGMjJEUa04-KE/s1280/2021-village-roadshow-theme-parks-gold-coast-virtual-marathon-2021-nick-phillips.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="991" data-original-width="1280" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pbRbg0ZlbgJopPqw7MDxJ0S8BC1EBWKWyMqGQB-FNZXv-NYuC7RV7pkM06S7jOJCw5Ht1oomr-uhZxSbCsNqViON-CxCCJ5u1SsCwTB-4jSx9YAnMsNACnI4WGObytWjGMjJEUa04-KE/w640-h496/2021-village-roadshow-theme-parks-gold-coast-virtual-marathon-2021-nick-phillips.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-37189533080888460942021-05-09T11:30:00.002+08:002021-05-09T11:30:42.800+08:00Gold Coast Half Marathon 2021 Virtual Run Training Update (Month 1 of 3)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqTCLTSlUyySyTOOnPLn000NRvxxkefufb1T6UE_r6jaL7gUwZiEASAxATxOThFSr3chS4Dcn58kfYGjKY7kqauU8kgRvWjm_lR32MSyBDqrkPdU-RCkfZLKMiphAaw0oGEwMIXq4GcPe/s820/126197485_4043991218945588_37914883965250905_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="820" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqTCLTSlUyySyTOOnPLn000NRvxxkefufb1T6UE_r6jaL7gUwZiEASAxATxOThFSr3chS4Dcn58kfYGjKY7kqauU8kgRvWjm_lR32MSyBDqrkPdU-RCkfZLKMiphAaw0oGEwMIXq4GcPe/w667-h292/126197485_4043991218945588_37914883965250905_n.jpg" width="667" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I wasn't really intending to sign up for any more virtual races for the year but with the Gold Coast Marathon being kept to the locals, my one and only favourite race of the year was a no go, for the second year running. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">After signing up for all four virtual categories last year, I was really itching to race the streets of the Gold Coast again, but as fate would have it, the pandemic put paid to those plans. Not to miss out on the action this time around, I decided to sign up for the virtual edition again. It was a toss up between the marathon or the half marathon and based on my current fitness level and also on the fact that I really wasn't up to racing <i>(and training)</i> for a marathon here, the half marathon won.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">With a few from the GCM Team Malaysia also signing up for the marathon, I knew I'd have some company along the route on <i>"race day"</i>. Then there was the decision of simply to just keep on my maintenance and just wing the race or actually go with a training plan. After some contemplation, I thought having a plan to keep things in perspective would be the better option. I haven't really followed or went with a plan in nearly 2 years so this was going to be something <i>"new"</i>.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I got my Luke Humphrey Running half marathon plan activated and got down to training. This is the first time I'm using Luke's plan for a half marathon as I've only ever used his plans for all my marathons previously. It wasn't really a difficult plan <i>(or so I thought)</i>, a 12 week plan that bottoms out at 55 to 60km tops a week, coupled with 2 days of workout that involved non-impact <i>(read no running)</i> activities which gave me a lot of recovery days. But upon delving deeper into the plan, I noticed that things got down to bat right from day 2 that involved a fartlek session. I've never had to do anything so, errrmmm intense on day 2 before but I took it all in stride and trusted the plan.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Well, the first week was really pretty easy, even with the fartlek, and I hardly felt it. I stuck to the plan like glue, keeping the easy days really easy and the speed sessions to the pace goals I set for myself, which is a very modest goal really. The long runs are in the 14km range and maxes out at 16k, even then only 3 sessions of them. I've so far had a great <i>(and easy)</i> first 4 weeks and this is where the easy part ends.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-6BDtGHRT3jmYFxsQ4Yx3E8WK9bUtRKCqfylrjRCOKQJ0MSHEjVP94AEq_B5IZ_EgIX6DqY7EIz2Y3uwyQr_5_U5hS-tsMt3msF1Ge2AkeLxTW80gfViDI7Ol3uFt8hDCcbFy0wAPFnX/s2048/20x30-GCBP1876.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-6BDtGHRT3jmYFxsQ4Yx3E8WK9bUtRKCqfylrjRCOKQJ0MSHEjVP94AEq_B5IZ_EgIX6DqY7EIz2Y3uwyQr_5_U5hS-tsMt3msF1Ge2AkeLxTW80gfViDI7Ol3uFt8hDCcbFy0wAPFnX/w640-h426/20x30-GCBP1876.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back in the day when you could actually race in person!<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The next 8 weeks will see the end of my Thursday rest days and the intensity of the SOS sessions are heating up with a couple of double SOS session in a week <i>(gulp!)</i>. But I've always trusted Luke's plans and I'm not about to second guess him now. Personally speaking, I think it's a good plan for someone of my fitness level and I'm sure I'll be able to see this through to the end. </div><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm really not stressing myself out this time round and don't have any lofty goals, something I'll keep for when I actually get to race in the Gold Coast again. I'm just running the Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon cos its always had a place close to my heart. If I was not going to be able to run it physically down under, then I'll sure as hell join in the fun by bringing it over here, at least until 2022's edition. I do have some ghosts to bury over there in the marathon once and for all and I intend to get it done next year! So here's hoping the world will get a grip on the pandemic and we can all lead our normal lives again. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">And to my long suffering wife, thank you for putting up with another round of my training and racing nonsense and the support you've always given me is why I can still find the strength to do this :D. I'll make it worth your while!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9_2txt7lE43Fd54rtKvQTF9pFHA75Mwe3MCH_y4E9sBJHm8-ojBVnXfKO9vxCojgTkx0qvPDIYPhYIbKVgFoki2VZMIFVM4JPphDxFVfR3-percgOmbAmTi72B8R-mfge60ezQGZGExG/s2048/IMG_20210418_104916_419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9_2txt7lE43Fd54rtKvQTF9pFHA75Mwe3MCH_y4E9sBJHm8-ojBVnXfKO9vxCojgTkx0qvPDIYPhYIbKVgFoki2VZMIFVM4JPphDxFVfR3-percgOmbAmTi72B8R-mfge60ezQGZGExG/w640-h480/IMG_20210418_104916_419.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-56461889069556338652021-04-29T14:07:00.147+08:002021-04-30T15:21:22.257+08:00GEAR UP FOR DISTRICT RACE MALAYSIA BY AIA VITALITY WITH THESE TOP TIPS<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 11.2pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ImHd9Rrj_RvZMJuZeq6m5LnywlLPHEsuhx8Jvvyi9qUE6Ut5hmUn4ouIn6SRDX_iOIHPLuDfaIqUjrJwiknj8syp85puEatwkpDTqqEh-oPb2VFC6i0_10lBvhAr2K-LLznH6fnI0ukq/s1080/District+Race_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ImHd9Rrj_RvZMJuZeq6m5LnywlLPHEsuhx8Jvvyi9qUE6Ut5hmUn4ouIn6SRDX_iOIHPLuDfaIqUjrJwiknj8syp85puEatwkpDTqqEh-oPb2VFC6i0_10lBvhAr2K-LLznH6fnI0ukq/w640-h640/District+Race_6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify;">District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality is back and ready to empower Malaysians in an all-new, free to participate, augmented reality digital event.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: none; color: #00000; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">From 12 April – 16 May 2021, District is doing the Get Fit for Charity challenge. Enjoy a team of exploration through the District App by taking part in the challenge while giving back to the community during this special month of Ramadan. The explorers are also encouraged to collectively hit the goal of 5 million points and AIA will pledge RM50,000.00 to the National Cancer Society Malaysia.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: none; color: #00000; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The digital world has shown
unprecedented growth over the last 12 months, and the fitness industry is no
exception. With mass participation events halted, and gyms closed during
Movement Control Order (MCO), people have turned to virtual fitness experiences
to stay healthy, both in mind and body. This has driven rapid innovation
in this space with both technology companies and brands delivering new and
unique experiences.
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;">District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality
offers just that, a fun and engaging way to encourage Malaysians to get
creative with their fitness routine and live healthier, longer, better lives
through the District App.</span></span></p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s incredibly easy to take part, 100%
free, and you stand the chance to win amazing prizes along the way. The
District App is designed for the convenience of Malaysians and it’s as simple
as hitting the ‘Start’ button on the App to begin an activity, finding the
checkpoint nearest to you and making your way to that location.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here are some important pointers for you
to take note as you embark on this new fitness journey:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAumXE4zCoCYlZSGNn0N-RadBPz9QVXjLlln1fiofkeWfeSkG3fRX8AlZ9HjXlmXpkjVfurlsgE6LRDM5BtzCggUY4ZweYlh1R09wqP8dwurL8LZNIVLqiz3GTRR_5AxYiJ_B9pHYfZCgc/s1080/District+Race_5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAumXE4zCoCYlZSGNn0N-RadBPz9QVXjLlln1fiofkeWfeSkG3fRX8AlZ9HjXlmXpkjVfurlsgE6LRDM5BtzCggUY4ZweYlh1R09wqP8dwurL8LZNIVLqiz3GTRR_5AxYiJ_B9pHYfZCgc/w640-h640/District+Race_5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1) Plan your route</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Every activity on the District App offers
points, so simply moving, be it through walking or running gets you closer to
more points. For every kilometre covered, you will receive 200 points. </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #00000; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you do not want to run with your phone,
just link your GPS-supported wearable device, such as a Garmin, and all
activities will sync directly to the District App and points will be credited
towards the overall leaderboard.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This ‘workout at your own pace’ regime is
ideal given how the fitness industry has evolved as a whole during a
challenging past year, where frequenting a gym or fitness centre has been
challenging.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2) Set a personal goal</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It can sometimes be tough to find the
right motivation to lead a healthy lifestyle, even if it means a fit body and
mind. District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality is ideal for beginners to begin
their fitness journey as there is no set route and no set distance; simply
download the app to start walking/jogging/running to a more fit you. If that’s
not enough, how about a Grand Prize of a brand new Proton X50 where a </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">completion of an
activity worth at least 2000 points will give you an entry into the lucky draw
(up to a maximum of 121 entries per person).</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The second prize
offers an adidas voucher worth RM1,000, while the third prize is a RM500 adidas
voucher.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #00000; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 11.2pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3) Select various
workout spots</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Workouts can get
mundane if you go to the same location each time. Get rid of that rigidity by
choosing different areas to exercise. It can be at a neighbourhood park, or a
scenic route that you have always wanted to visit! Working out in different
spots also gives you a fresh perspective both physically and mentally, as you
experience different journeys on your route. There are checkpoints available
everywhere in Malaysia so you can participate in District Race no matter where
you are!</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #00000; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4) Always remember to
hydrate</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Drinking enough water
is essential for any workout activity, so always carry a bottle of water when
you head out. When you do intend to collect checkpoints, it also greatly helps
to plan convenient routes where you can run in to get a drink at a convenience
store. The body only performs to its best when it’s fuelled up, so always
remember to fill up your tank!</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #00000; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5) Enjoy your workout</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You will only perform
at your optimum level if you are enjoying your workout, so when you press Start
on your District App, remember that a positive mindset is key to having a
productive session. Focus on getting ‘into your zone’ each time you get into your
stride, and you will be amazed how much you achieved regardless of the duration
of your workout.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #00000; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 12.65pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 12.65pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpzm25SYwnZsfkDE-Iy0hXEuUABGY4ldHwemYZzsGPYJj3hTrZ1papCthrYeshGpcPflKSzE_8ntYqVUOd5Ftv-AV5J9jJivOsnbRl3t82tOIQDDyLTU-pig-47HUadyAElRILQ0UIoTJ/s2048/District+Race_10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpzm25SYwnZsfkDE-Iy0hXEuUABGY4ldHwemYZzsGPYJj3hTrZ1papCthrYeshGpcPflKSzE_8ntYqVUOd5Ftv-AV5J9jJivOsnbRl3t82tOIQDDyLTU-pig-47HUadyAElRILQ0UIoTJ/w640-h426/District+Race_10.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6) Have a partner</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">No man is an island
rings true in a workout environment too. Getting a companion group to join you
on your workouts can bring out the best in everyone, as it helps to push and
challenge each other. Sharing your progress can also lead to a healthy
competition, which only works out best for all parties. Fret not if you can’t
find a physical partner to exercise with, the District App also offers
team-mates virtually to keep you engaged. Form a new team or join an existing
team to motivate each other. Who knows, your team could be the team with the
Highest Average Team Score and walk away with RM10,000 cash!</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #00000; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">7) Running during
Ramadan</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Working out during the
fasting month may seem daunting, but not if you plan your workout sessions in
advance. Either start your walk or run with District app early before sahur in
the morning, or go for a late-night stroll after breaking fast in the evening.
There are enough hours in a day to find the time for a short workout if you
plan right. Having said that, understand your body not too push yourself too
hard if you are not at your physical best. What is important is that you allocate
some time towards reaching your fitness goal, however short or long the
duration. While you stay active and healthy during Ramadan, don’t forget to
join District Race’s Get Fit For Charity contest. For every 100 points you
score from 12 April to 16 May, AIA Malaysia will pledge RM1 to the National
Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM) to support the great work they do in providing
education, care, and support services for those affected by cancer. The goal is
to hit a total of 5 million points, so that NCSM will receive RM50,000 in
donation. Time to get moving and make a difference!</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #00000; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #00000;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This race is not designed to be a race
per se where you compete with millions to see who comes out on top, rather it
is motivation for you to challenge yourself, up your game and get fit for your
own good!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #00000;">District Race Malaysia is currently
running until 30</span><sup style="color: #00000;">th</sup><span style="color: #00000;"> June 2021 with monthly prizes to be won. It
is presented by AIA Vitality, AIA’s unique health programme that motivates
Malaysians to make healthier choices in their everyday lives. Download the
District App </span><a href="https://rebrand.ly/DistrictRaceMY" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">here</span></a><span style="color: #00000;">. You may find out more about the ongoing
contests and get to know the latest updates on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/DistrictRaceMY" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">District Race MY Facebook page</span></a><span style="color: #00000;">.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJU23-5xjx0ygqeilDPMHc_r0xiCBO6s30YzaUE6Kpo7Z8JgIkuWSimcyXZ1rIgnCUWe5yZaJ0ui2CuVjPbsdjloNckjvn5vkv9W22NVDmM4iqv8i9iEHcTdCBS4tTiCm8Zz8XN-jUm84/s1081/Merch+Kit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="1081" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJU23-5xjx0ygqeilDPMHc_r0xiCBO6s30YzaUE6Kpo7Z8JgIkuWSimcyXZ1rIgnCUWe5yZaJ0ui2CuVjPbsdjloNckjvn5vkv9W22NVDmM4iqv8i9iEHcTdCBS4tTiCm8Zz8XN-jUm84/w640-h640/Merch+Kit.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">About District </span></u></b><b><u><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(</span></u></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://exploredistrict.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">exploredistrict.com</span></b></a><b><u>)</u><br />
Contact: </b>Chris Cable<b>, </b>COO, <a href="mailto:Chris@districtrace.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: #00000;">Chris@districtrace.com</span></a></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #00000; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">District is a ground-breaking technology
platform that encourages people to lead active, healthy lifestyles through the
District app. With no set route or distance, participants choose how they
explore the city, by completing virtual checkpoints and challenges to
accumulate the most points within the race time limit. The app makes use of
augmented reality, location-based technologies, and gamification to create a
unique experiential running experience for participants.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 16.1pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000;">About AIA Vitality</span></u></b><span style="color: #00000;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000;"><span style="font-family: arial;">AIA Vitality is Asia’s
first and only comprehensive science-backed health programme. It provides
members with the knowledge, tools and motivation to bring about long-term
positive behavioural changes to lead a healthier life. AIA Vitality members are
incentivised to actively engage in health and wellness activities by offering
them a range of benefits including extra insurance benefits on selected
insurance and Takaful plans as well as savings and discounts from AIA Vitality
partners.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000;">About AIA Bhd.</span></u></b><span style="color: #00000;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000;"><span style="font-family: arial;">AIA Bhd. is a leading insurer in
Malaysia, where we have been privileged to do business since 1948. We offer a
suite of financial solutions including Protection, Health, Personal Accident,
Employee Benefits, General Insurance, Mortgage, Retirement and Family Takaful
products to meet our customers’ protection and financial security needs at
every life stage. Through our wide and diverse distribution footprint which
comprises of a 15,000 strong Life Planner force, our exclusive bank partner’s
branches nationwide as well as corporate sales teams and brokers, we give our
customers the choice of deciding how, when and where they connect with us.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #00000;">Part of the AIA Group, the largest
independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group, AIA Bhd. has the
financial strength, experience, service centre network and a well-trained team
of more than 2,600 employees to serve our 3.6 million customers nationwide. As
at 30 June 2020, AIA Bhd.’s total asset worth was RM57.45 billion, with a
paid-up capital of RM810 million.</span><span style="color: #00000;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: none; line-height: 15pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1az0TPPPLwsS5LQac1MiH_syogprtdcnMOWMKf9ewmyU7I6Rn19Yt6tlDJ7lG8OffIPTZsUJcyLSV6ygWxJi69oBJu1dBQlZw0rdEj8qKXKGHZajTktJxbI7CUj06U3IGfCOEa5AJ3BLR/s1000/District+Race_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1az0TPPPLwsS5LQac1MiH_syogprtdcnMOWMKf9ewmyU7I6Rn19Yt6tlDJ7lG8OffIPTZsUJcyLSV6ygWxJi69oBJu1dBQlZw0rdEj8qKXKGHZajTktJxbI7CUj06U3IGfCOEa5AJ3BLR/w640-h640/District+Race_4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p></p>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-417408813427201002021-04-19T12:42:00.009+08:002021-04-19T13:23:17.345+08:00Saucony Kinvara 12 : 50KM Review<p style="text-align: justify;">With all the hype and interest going around these days in the numerous carbon plated shoes that sometimes we forget that there are some pretty great traditional running shoes out there and one such shoe is the Saucony Kinvara 12.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I've always been a fan of the Saucony series of shoes since way back in my ambassadorial days with them. The Kinvara series was definitely the top of my running shoe list back then and even featured as my go to marathon shoes, aside from my other favourite, the Skechers GOrun series. But over time I've experimented with numerous brands, what with being a shoe geek, I'd always want to try new shoes personally before making any unfounded judgement on a shoe, that's how I roll anyway.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQccEXM-8kEzhWWfqwkfXTgvgXy9vMoC2EO4X8HBKFSmOMPirNeBgrm7igklZLUSfqrpuhPLPK26LyrlRun7dSxk4PjcgiGqFukRlCr6epP99jK93ZjGj0sxalPAF-tyXy94yqQGAcEGi/s2048/C0060716.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1647" data-original-width="2048" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQccEXM-8kEzhWWfqwkfXTgvgXy9vMoC2EO4X8HBKFSmOMPirNeBgrm7igklZLUSfqrpuhPLPK26LyrlRun7dSxk4PjcgiGqFukRlCr6epP99jK93ZjGj0sxalPAF-tyXy94yqQGAcEGi/w400-h322/C0060716.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The Saucony Kinvara 12 was an unexpected purchase. I wasn't really intending to get any shoes just yet, what with no physical races at the moment but upon deciding to sign up and run the Gold Coast Marathon virtual edition of the race, I needed a workhorse of a shoe to see me through the training process. There were a few in mind but were unattainable cos, if I'm being truly honest, the brands weren't really helpful with my inquiries and were also in the midst of transitional management changes so bringing in the newer models weren't really on their list of priorities. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, after looking around <i>(budget also played an important decision here</i>) I decided to give the Kinvara 12 a try after reading reviews on it from my usual sources. Like I said, I don't solely depend on reviews and would personally try a shoe before deciding if it's good or bad <i>(for me at least)</i>. After a few text exchanges with Frank of Running Lab 1 Utama, I headed over to get myself a pair. I was forewarned by Frank that Saucony Malaysia only brought in the wider version of the shoes. Thankfully, upon trying it out, it fit me to a tee and I wasn't even using thick socks.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyEND4Gy_ywBPnuO1SbLiqOlVyK8wIQzzi-bvz_qFKZ31tiLYF4BdGJEyexMONxJ8uOiF4J2P_5BR61r2twFa-2ixxMSkM8EIhsuUYmRNJptmj6l5ys0g9NTy_ssvTgE3m741H5HbyRpf/s2048/IMG_20210329_170503.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyEND4Gy_ywBPnuO1SbLiqOlVyK8wIQzzi-bvz_qFKZ31tiLYF4BdGJEyexMONxJ8uOiF4J2P_5BR61r2twFa-2ixxMSkM8EIhsuUYmRNJptmj6l5ys0g9NTy_ssvTgE3m741H5HbyRpf/w400-h300/IMG_20210329_170503.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Although, the colorway wasn't what I really wanted, I got it all the same and have so far put in more than 50km in the Saucony Kinvara 12. I had a good 2 weeks to see if it would be my Gold Coast training shoe so I put it to the test immediately. I was already impressed with them even after my first run, but that was to be expected as the Kinvaras of the past were all pretty decent shoes, granted my last pair was the K8, of which miraculously I'm still running with. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Saucony Kinvara 12, now in its 12th iteration is still a reliable, extremely responsive and lightweight <i>(at 7.5oz for a men's US9)</i> shoe with a more sleek, streamlined look and feel. The K12 like most of its previous siblings is versatile<i> (a seriously overused word)</i> and is capable of taking on all kinds of runs, from easy shakedowns to those long weekend miles making it capable of performing as a daily trainer, speed trainer right up to being a comfy long run shoe.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLJ8xg-FUXoV1hAfDQtP8yqFZRmi96crIs13zCVjEYF6bVDIQJrj9uedJJoWKdTvymuw2ZT47VtsptUwh4KaU4Pw5RYsfts8xfQUG9jco8Elpj8pIl4P6j9laiC55EVSQbQ590lS1-uz8/s2048/IMG_20210329_171822.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLJ8xg-FUXoV1hAfDQtP8yqFZRmi96crIs13zCVjEYF6bVDIQJrj9uedJJoWKdTvymuw2ZT47VtsptUwh4KaU4Pw5RYsfts8xfQUG9jco8Elpj8pIl4P6j9laiC55EVSQbQ590lS1-uz8/w400-h300/IMG_20210329_171822.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The PWRRUN midsole that was found in the K11 makes a return to the Kinvara 12 and most reviews said that the shoe is lot firmer than the past years editions though I really cannot attest to that as my last experience in a Kinvara was with the version 8. No big deal really as I found it very comfy and if I may say, nicely cushioned. As with all Kinvara models, once you've experienced using them, there is literally no break-in period at all. It was good from the get go, a smooth ride and extremely responsive. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">The most noticeable difference of the Kinvara 12 is the shape of the PWRRUN midsole. It dovetails out from the heel of the shoe giving it a somewhat Nike Vaporfly kinda look which is supposedly a design to add a more aerodynamic feel to it. The PWRRUN midsole though delivers by striking a perfect balance between the responsiveness and lightweight cushioning of the Kinvara 12.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5C5XoXa2eAvOBcbnF_10jwAfTte_epXpXsrwu6mm6KoGdotHgTsKRQDbY3nrXuM8lLeFxT_lLKYc8IBwE3gZpNVR4NBOFwkxctGkd1UXW747-EOK76J1sFkrnv2085pQc6ed_SnAedMZ4/s2048/IMG_20210329_171923.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5C5XoXa2eAvOBcbnF_10jwAfTte_epXpXsrwu6mm6KoGdotHgTsKRQDbY3nrXuM8lLeFxT_lLKYc8IBwE3gZpNVR4NBOFwkxctGkd1UXW747-EOK76J1sFkrnv2085pQc6ed_SnAedMZ4/w400-h300/IMG_20210329_171923.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The upper of the Saucony Kinvara 12 is kept very simple. Saucony has basically stripped away any excess padding and left it with just the basics, a breathable and very lightweight mesh that wraps the foot nicely. And trust me on the breathability, I could feel the cool morning air flowing through my toes. The tongue on the K12 is actually one of the more interesting aspect of the shoe and possibly one of the better tongues I've seen on a shoe so far. From the outside, it looks flimsy but upon looking at the flip side, you'll see gentle padding in just the right places to protect your arch from the laces and is gusseted running down both sides of the foot to keep in comfortably in place.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">My biggest worry upon seeing the shoe when I first got it was the outsole design. It was entirely exposed foam with injection blown rubber only in two strategic places, the heel and forefoot and leaving the rest of the outsole in direct contact with the ground. I was afraid that the durability of the outsole wouldn't last long, what with the mileage I'll put into the shoe during this particular training block. But it was a needless worry, the outsole was and is sturdy enough to take the rigours of daily running and despite the very minimal rubber segments, it had great grip on all surfaces. I've ran it on dry, ground, wet after rain roads and even on grassy terrain and it held up pretty well. In fact, the exposed chevron patterned outsole hardly has any wear to date.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pVfggxhM-Oym5-yse3uu3sdQmeUoqxbzac2lZhOP0htushk9F516NUxeSG156NTr5kpUyhLFstOh-ekRmfFrsPc2nSmdFsWZe06bTWIZYUMOL6891a24mbXFgiFMUwG2DVfa9yr-45xi/s2048/IMG_20210329_171946.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pVfggxhM-Oym5-yse3uu3sdQmeUoqxbzac2lZhOP0htushk9F516NUxeSG156NTr5kpUyhLFstOh-ekRmfFrsPc2nSmdFsWZe06bTWIZYUMOL6891a24mbXFgiFMUwG2DVfa9yr-45xi/w400-h300/IMG_20210329_171946.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">My only gripe with the Kinvara 12 is the overlay of a thick strip of rubber like material that ends with a pull tab on the exterior of the heel which in my opinion serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever. The pull tab is virtually impossible to grip and having it removed may have even cut the weight of the K12 further. </p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Like I said earlier, I've put more than 50km into the Saucony Kinvara 12 and I've no regrets buying it. Until Saucony's Endorphin series came about, the Kinvara's reigned supreme as the brand's most recognizable model and while it no longer holds the top spot in the Saucony hierarchy as their number one performance shoe, it still does provide an excellent option for the budget conscious out there and works just as great as a daily trainer capable of easy runs, tempos right up to those longer miles. And most importantly, the Saucony Kinvara 12 is more than capable of holding its own in a 5k race just as easily as in a marathon! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5U31TgemHvs4fy5sml2O6qbj6WFpQmBLFxUP0lrEfjLWADJwPds4rd7X2evLaQ_MVkaLaGYh3zMS2JAhORXesvGyXtmcMRXjUDDhkBMPBEPAzxJdl488ZchdCxI6Q-QajpQm_Trg7u087/s2048/IMG_20210329_172211.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5U31TgemHvs4fy5sml2O6qbj6WFpQmBLFxUP0lrEfjLWADJwPds4rd7X2evLaQ_MVkaLaGYh3zMS2JAhORXesvGyXtmcMRXjUDDhkBMPBEPAzxJdl488ZchdCxI6Q-QajpQm_Trg7u087/w400-h300/IMG_20210329_172211.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">The Saucony Kinvara 12 is a 4mm drop (28.5mm/24.4mm) neutral trainer that weighs 7.5oz for the men's US9 and can be found retailed here at RM489.00. In the age of the carbon plated heavy weights, would I recommend this shoe? If you're on a budget and prefer the more traditional daily trainers, then yes, absolutely. The Kinvara series has been a fan favourite and as far as I'm concerned, it's still a very good daily trainer that can handle a host of workouts.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxB-nd1MahLobzmlp2Zp4ZVUpB72HwchHIyDeRqtzgHsubmBGcryhBcJSKjM3CRvWUacPYSPycyjJ9i0EUQDNbR7V1apOoGbyQHlES7rH-tby8dF_rzRUWN3eSuXTU0zNLesvNidjgSt9/s800/IMG_20210329_172229.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxB-nd1MahLobzmlp2Zp4ZVUpB72HwchHIyDeRqtzgHsubmBGcryhBcJSKjM3CRvWUacPYSPycyjJ9i0EUQDNbR7V1apOoGbyQHlES7rH-tby8dF_rzRUWN3eSuXTU0zNLesvNidjgSt9/w400-h300/IMG_20210329_172229.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6252197520846896621.post-74980599149252633212021-03-01T14:24:00.009+08:002021-03-01T14:27:45.087+08:00Press Release: District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality 2021<p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 62.8667px;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A BRAND NEW WAY TO GET ACTIVE</span></span></b></p><p align="center" class="m_8454622602548341031MsoSubtitle" style="background-color: white; break-after: avoid; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt; line-height: 23px; margin: 0cm 0cm 16pt; text-align: center;"><a name="m_8454622602548341031__rti66v532t8f" style="color: #222222;"></a><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.8667px;">District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality returns in an all-new digital event, extending across all of Malaysia with bigger and better prizes.</span></p><p align="center" class="m_8454622602548341031MsoSubtitle" style="background-color: white; break-after: avoid; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt; line-height: 23px; margin: 0cm 0cm 16pt; text-align: center;"><span></span></p><p class="m_8454622602548341031MsoSubtitle" style="background-color: white; break-after: avoid; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt; line-height: 23px; margin: 0cm 0cm 16pt; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxONEC10khCOQQIZHZXvsN_5Rew5yCjOoYFSiGUlRVk9n1WsJyXBL0d7LSLkGFZiyB5M4bAUQt3GDWmCQArVIvmq8B0Lif87bZB0FlGSZhMy0-QteHoTdHK5h6DXLK-R0llNRCVprfJG9c/s1000/3.+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality+2021-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="467" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxONEC10khCOQQIZHZXvsN_5Rew5yCjOoYFSiGUlRVk9n1WsJyXBL0d7LSLkGFZiyB5M4bAUQt3GDWmCQArVIvmq8B0Lif87bZB0FlGSZhMy0-QteHoTdHK5h6DXLK-R0llNRCVprfJG9c/w437-h467/3.+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality+2021-1.jpg" width="437" /></a></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p class="m_8454622602548341031MsoSubtitle" style="background-color: white; break-after: avoid; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15pt; line-height: 23px; margin: 0cm 0cm 16pt; text-align: center;"><b>Overview</b></p><h3 style="background-color: white; break-after: avoid; color: #434343; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 21.4667px; margin: 16pt 0cm 4pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 11.2pt; margin: 0in 0in 12pt 22.5pt; text-indent: -22.5pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">●</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The world’s greatest
urban exploration race has gone digital and is free for all to join.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 11.2pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; text-indent: -22.5pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">●</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The event returns with
AIA Vitality as the presenting sponsor, to help Malaysians stay active in the
new normal and to live healthier, longer, better lives.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 11.2pt; margin: 0in 0in 12pt 22.5pt; text-indent: -22.5pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">●</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The app features brand
new activities including checkpoints that are just a step outside your door for
easy participation. You can join from anywhere in Malaysia!</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 11.2pt; margin-left: 22.5pt; text-indent: -22.5pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">●</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 7pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are over 40
prizes to be won, including a brand-new car, adidas gear and Garmin watches.
One lucky winner will drive away with a Proton X50.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 16.1pt; margin: 16pt 0in 4pt;"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p style="font-weight: normal;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 16.1pt; margin: 16pt 0in 4pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt;">Detail</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;">District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality is back and ready to
empower Malaysians in an all new, free to participate, augmented reality
digital event. Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the holding
of all mass participation sporting events impossible, thus challenging people
to get creative with their fitness routine. The latest edition of District Race
Malaysia is launched today (1 March 2021) with this context in mind. Powered by
its cutting-edge technology platform, it promotes users to lead active and
healthy lifestyles in the new normal by providing an engaging and fun urban
exploration experience through the District app.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;">This year, District and its presenting sponsor AIA Vitality
have extended the event across all of Malaysia, so anyone can participate and
enjoy the fun.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;">The 4-month event aims to motivate people to stay active and
stay healthy, by exercising in a new and exciting way while being comfortable
and safe. The new version of the District app offers everyone multiple ways to participate
regardless of their fitness level – there are enhanced fitness experiences,
augmented reality and various community competitions for all to
experience. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;">The easiest way to get started is to walk, jog or run to virtual
checkpoint locations nearby. Simply open the app, press Start, and walk through
the GPS locations to earn points. Explore in your neighbourhood or at a local
park; there are checkpoints everywhere.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dAueRY-75ZGQ99r79G_N-u520OBoNI-sz-2CpppO0GnjpMr-A6TzKRYYct9SNu99Fuk8YbYgfEEFkL-u5zRbxYfp-eo8Km4zhtPpz2Xc7YjAQQ_YE90W5nfJnGlKdci9XR9NGJ4bJKPj/s1080/1.+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality+-+Find+missions+near+you.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="431" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dAueRY-75ZGQ99r79G_N-u520OBoNI-sz-2CpppO0GnjpMr-A6TzKRYYct9SNu99Fuk8YbYgfEEFkL-u5zRbxYfp-eo8Km4zhtPpz2Xc7YjAQQ_YE90W5nfJnGlKdci9XR9NGJ4bJKPj/w431-h431/1.+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality+-+Find+missions+near+you.jpg" width="431" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />Find Missions Near You</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;">Those who do not want to collect checkpoints can also earn
points for any kilometers walked or run. These activities can be tracked in the
District app or by linking a GPS-supported wearable device, such as a Garmin.
After linking a wearable device, all activities will sync directly to the
District app and points will be credited towards the overall leaderboard. It
has never been so easy to participate in an event.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;">In addition to monthly competitions, there is a Grand Prize draw
that will run for the length of the event from 1 March to 30 June, with amazing
prizes up for grabs. Any activity that garners 2,000+ points will receive one
lucky draw entry and the grand prize lucky draw winner will drive away a
brand-new Proton X50. There are over 40 contest prizes to be won, including
Garmin watches, adidas gear, and much more.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;">District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality is also a fantastic way
to connect with families and friends and get active together virtually, despite
not being able to meet in person with the on-going MCO restrictions in place.
Participants can invite friends and family members to join their team to race
and for a chance to win. The largest team during the event will win free
District Race Malaysia T-shirts and the 2021 District augmented reality enabled
medal.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"> “Over 8,000
participants took part in the first edition of the District Race which was held
at Dataran Merdeka Kuala Lumpur in 2019 and we were thrilled by the amazing
response we received. Although the global pandemic has disrupted several parts
of our lives, we want to instill that having a healthy and positive lifestyle
for many young people and families is important,”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;">said <b>Josh
Tendler, Head of Marketing, District Technologies</b>. “The District App is
powered by location-based technologies and gamification, now enables linking
GPS-supported wearable devices to the platform. That is why we are taking our
race for the community in Malaysia to a digital format this year – with the
mission to stay active and healthy. This is going to be a race unlike anything
we have seen before,” he added.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Z0Tcn34aLi5uO6lJdF9ZQQmRH7qqnF4ycdUXbxC1_C-AbiD4sVm2k6dXMjZKhXiDUG6pCanq1EyQRO5zJUSTTzU6HTeSDLnRjfRNzFIYeLa5FzcVQx4rPHMbt0d0bnAI-ZjgrIGelY1W/s1081/2.+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality+-+Racepacks+-+Official+Medal+%2526+T-shirt.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="1081" height="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Z0Tcn34aLi5uO6lJdF9ZQQmRH7qqnF4ycdUXbxC1_C-AbiD4sVm2k6dXMjZKhXiDUG6pCanq1EyQRO5zJUSTTzU6HTeSDLnRjfRNzFIYeLa5FzcVQx4rPHMbt0d0bnAI-ZjgrIGelY1W/w449-h449/2.+District+Race+Malaysia+by+AIA+Vitality+-+Racepacks+-+Official+Medal+%2526+T-shirt.jpg" width="449" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />Race Pack - Official Medal & T-Shirt</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;">Heng Zee Wang, Chief Marketing Officer, AIA
Bhd.</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"> shared the same
sentiments: “District Race by AIA Vitality took Malaysia by storm when it first
launched in 2019. As the presenting sponsor, we are so excited to bring it back
in a new and evolved format that will continue to inspire Malaysians from all
walks of life to go out there and be active despite the challenges that the
COVID-19 pandemic has brought our way. We’re always committed to looking for
innovative and fun ways to help Malaysians live Healthier, Longer and Better
Lives – one of them being our unique health programme AIA Vitality which
motivates people to make healthier choices in their everyday lives. This
collaboration with District Race is a perfect fit for us as it will enable
people to explore their cities and communities with their families and friends
in a healthy and safe way.”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;">The District app is available for download via
the App Store and Google Play Store.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;">General registration for District Race
Malaysia by AIA Vitality, is still open for free sign ups by downloading the
app at: </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://rebrand.ly/DistrictRaceMY" target="_blank">https://rebrand.ly/DistrictRaceMY</a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;">For more information, follow @DistrictRaceMY on Facebook and Instagram, or visit the even page at : </span></p><a href="https://exploredistrict.com/event/district-race-my-2021?missionId=6Fk0V2TVZI81bJZ1WUZ10G" style="font-size: 13.3333px; font-weight: 400; text-indent: -30px;" target="_blank">www.exploredistrict.com/en/events/district-race-my-2021</a><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrwQRySwnfbMsnuzliqgMVn-Pq0Rj_Ly_QtEbtKDr9uqyz8ykxwFE3L4DVHqupd07BXGQ4EvCr7fKuLt5ttqNSM18R5YuQIpBPnvU129PzxBOoTD2ZYeDVJ_CZ1bh0C4tp289gEXjFuHH/s1129/DISTRICT+X+AIA+VITALITY+Logo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="1129" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrwQRySwnfbMsnuzliqgMVn-Pq0Rj_Ly_QtEbtKDr9uqyz8ykxwFE3L4DVHqupd07BXGQ4EvCr7fKuLt5ttqNSM18R5YuQIpBPnvU129PzxBOoTD2ZYeDVJ_CZ1bh0C4tp289gEXjFuHH/w513-h106/DISTRICT+X+AIA+VITALITY+Logo.png" width="513" /></a></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">About District (<a href="https://exploredistrict.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;">exploredistrict.com</span></a>)</span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
Contact: Chris Cable, Head of Events, +60 17 349 2342, </span></b><b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="mailto:Chris@districtrace.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none;">Chris@districtrace.com</span></a></span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">District is a ground-breaking technology platform that
encourages people to lead active, healthy lifestyles through the District app.
With no set route or distance, participants choose how they explore the city,
by completing virtual checkpoints and challenges to accumulate the most points
within the race time limit. The app makes use of augmented reality,
location-based technologies, and gamification to create a unique experiential
running experience for participants.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">About AIA Vitality</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
AIA Vitality is Asia’s first and only comprehensive science-backed health
programme. It provides members with the knowledge, tools and motivation to
bring about long-term positive behavioural changes to lead a healthier life.
AIA Vitality members are incentivised to actively engage in health and wellness
activities by offering them a range of benefits including extra insurance
benefits on selected insurance and Takaful plans as well as savings and
discounts from AIA Vitality partners.</span></span></b><b style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">About AIA Bhd.</span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-HK" style="font-size: 10pt;">AIA Bhd. is a leading
insurer in Malaysia, where we have been privileged to do business since 1948.
We offer a suite of financial solutions including Protection, Health, Personal
Accident, Employee Benefits, General Insurance, Mortgage, Retirement and Family
Takaful products to meet our customers’ protection and financial security needs
at every life stage. Through our wide and diverse distribution footprint which
comprises of a 15,000 strong Life Planner force, our exclusive bank partner’s
branches nationwide as well as corporate sales teams and brokers, we give our
customers the choice of deciding how, when and where they connect with us.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Part of the AIA Group,
the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group, AIA
Bhd. has the financial strength, experience, service centre network and a
well-trained team of more than 2,600 employees to serve our 3.6 million
customers nationwide. As at 30 June 2020, AIA Bhd.’s total asset worth was
RM57.45 billion, with a paid-up capital of RM810 million.</span></p><span style="font-weight: normal;"><!--more--></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">Press Release is issued on behalf of <b>DISTRICT
RACE MALAYSIA BY AIA VITALITY</b> from </span><b style="font-size: 14pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background: rgb(255, 254, 253); color: #0070c0; font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">INK PR Sdn Bhd</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For further media information, please contact:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ms Abby Naomi
| +6016 215 3094 | </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="mailto:abby@ink.net.my" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none;">abby@ink.net.my</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ms Aw
Li-Ann
| +6012 207 8285 | </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="mailto:li-ann@ink.net.my" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none;">li-ann@ink.net.my</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /></h3>Nick Phillips (15/03/1967 - 04/11/2022)http://www.blogger.com/profile/01043552434776358684noreply@blogger.com0