Tag Archives: ASICS

AFTNews, Fitness

Outrun yourself in ASICS’ inaugural #IMOVEME CHALLENGE 2020

No crowds. No start gun or pre-race nerves. No official starting line. Such is the flexibility and convenience offered by virtual races, the latest trend in the running community. 

ASICS’ inaugural #IMOVEME Challenge seeks to transform organized racing with a 12-month virtual marathon series across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Philippines, which aims to attract thousands of runners from across the region. 

Organized in partnership with virtual race platform, 42Race, the year-long challenge will feature four marathons with different requirements. 

Runners can sign up for the virtual marathons by registering online at <https://web.42race.com/race-bundle/asicsimoveme2020challenge>, choose from the marathon races that best suit them and run them anywhere they like – whether it’s on a treadmill or at their neighborhood street.

Upon completing the race, runners can then upload their finishing time and see how they stack up against the rest of the running world in the region. 

ASICS #IMOVEME CHALLENGE 2020 Finisher Medal

Four Marathon Categories 

There are four marathon categories – Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Ultra. The completion of each marathon will see runners earn a prized medal and a 15% discount ASICS e-voucher.  

Winners 

Need more motivation? Completing all four marathons in the Advanced and Ultra segments will not only see you clock more miles, but also bring you closer to the grand prize of [a 3D2N Wuxi Marathon Trip inclusive of a marathon entry, accommodation and a return flight worth USD 5,000 In total].

Completing all four marathons in the Beginner and Intermediate segments will also entitle you to a chance to win USD 1,000 worth in ASICS products.

For those who prefer running in groups, ASICS Running Club will also be holding special training sessions every Tuesday evenings, which are led by experienced runners and tailored specifically to the marathons’ requirements to help runners achieve their personal fitness goals. 

So what are you waiting for? Join in a running experience that will inspire you, push you and move you. 

Registration for the ASICS #IMOVEME Challenge is now opened at 

< https://web.42race.com/race-bundle/asicsimoveme2020challenge >. 

Please visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/asicsrunningclubmy/ for more information on ASICS Running Club and its programmes.

AFT Features, AFTNews, Fitness, Footwear

Nasi Lemak Shoes by ASICS

The Nasi Lemak has been a staple of Malaysian food for years and you can find it almost anywhere in the country, at any time of the day. There have been a few variations of the famous dish but shoes is a new one.

ASICS Malaysia has announced its first-ever foray into the local sneaker scene with a special rendition of the GEL-KAYANO 5 OG, inspired by the Nasi Lemak dish, presented by local multi-label retail store, Hundred% (hundred percent) and Malaysia’s biggest sneaker event, SneakerLAH, held on 5 – 6 October 2019.

Giving a local twist to the famed retro silhouette of the GEL-KAYANO 5 OG, it transformed an ordinary sneaker into something close to the hearts of many Malaysians by taking inspiration from the nation’s popular dish.

Not quite yummy in the tummy but is as delicious for your feet

This special edition of the GEL-KAYANO 5 OG design represents the vibrant colours of the Nasi Lemak dish to reflect the unity amongst the diverse cultures in Malaysia. Off-white represents the rice and egg white, while green  signifies cucumber. Red reflects the chilli paste, while yellow takes the form of the yolk. The whole palette is finished off with a hint of brown, reflecting the nuts and anchovies.

“What we love about the shoe colourway re-design is that; it centres around the nasi lemak which is a dish that everyone likes and a societal knot that all Malaysians can relate to and instantly love,” said Boon Tib Soom Nik, Country Manager of ASICS Malaysia.

“Through this shoe, we hope to share with everyone that feeling of unity, and to spread the love to all corners of the globe,” he added.

The GEL-KAYANO 5 OG ‘Nasi Lemak Shoe’ was available for purchase at SneakerLAH 2019 for RM599 and had only a limited quantity of 500.

 

AFTNews, Fitness, Footwear

Getting Tired Just Got Harder with ASICS GLIDERIDE

Saving runners energy: ASICS has revealed how the eagerly awaited GLIDERIDE™ has successfully adapted the GUIDESOLE™ technology, first introduced in the METARIDE™ concept, and placed it on the feet of more runners in a unique race featuring participants of different abilities from around the world.  

AN ENERGY REVOLUTION

The human-centric GUIDESOLE™ technology is an ergonomic precision-shaped curved sole that reduces energy loss.  It works by minimizing lower leg movement through the stride – giving a feeling of effortless coasting – to make it easier for runners to keep going for longer.

Increasing the accessibility of the GUIDESOLE™ technology was the inspiration behind the new shoe. Engineered by a team of scientific experts and designers at ASICS Institute of Sport Science (ISS), the development of GLIDERIDE™ was fast-tracked to get the new technology to more runners as quickly as possible. 

The result? The new GLIDERIDE™ has taken the category-leading GUIDESOLE™ technology a further step forward.  Whilst providing maximum energy saving, it is lighter, with a less extreme curve and more cushioning than the concept shoe – increased comfort. 

In tests, GLIDERIDE™ has been scientifically proven to:

  • Reduce total energy loss at the ankle joint, where runners expend the most energy 
  • Improve cushioning for increased comfort 
  • Reduce weight while maintaining stability to provide both performance and protection

Kenichi Harano, Executive Officer and Senior General Manager at ISS, said: “The positive reception and speed at which runners adopted the new technology spurred us on to develop GLIDERIDE™ in record time.  With no compromise on efficiency, it offers a cushier ride that we believe has the potential to help runners of every level significantly improve performance to go further than they thought possible”.

GET AHEAD WITH THE CURVE

To demonstrate what energy saving really means for runners, ASICS put the theory to the test in a unique race on the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah on 7 September 2019. 

The race, designed by an expert team of sports scientists, ASICS RUNKEEPER™ data analysts, elite coaches and engineers saw 22 runners of different abilities from around the world put the latest technology and theory in running performance to the test. Participants explored how energy saving technology can assist them in improving performance in the ultimate battle against themselves in a race without a finish line.

“We effectively took our research lab from Kobe to the Salt Flats to understand directly from runners how they can benefit from our energy saving technology in a real-life situation,” commented Harano.  “What we learnt proves the importance of optimizing energy and will fuel our next generation technologies beyond footwear.”   

Yasuhito Hirota, ASICS President and COO, said: “This latest innovation is a major milestone in achieving our goal to make our energy saving technology available to all runners. In Spring 2020, we will launch the next shoe in the family, EVORIDE™.  And it doesn’t finish there. ASICS commitment to this new category extends beyond footwear with the planned introduction of further innovations to our in-store and on-line services”.

Retails for MYR629, the GLIDERIDE™ will be available for men and women at selected ASICS retail stores and www.asics.com from 4 October 2019.

AFTNews, Fitness, Footwear

ASICS relaunches GEL-KINSEI™, its iconic early millennial runner

The GEL-KINSEI™ shoe is a renowned high mileage running shoe with superior comfor and bold look and ASICS is bringing it back after 10 years in further classic iterations. 

Available since September, the re-imagined sneaker features premium athletic wear and technical running products born from ASICS’ 70-year history of advanced technology and human-centric science.

The design of the GEL-KINSEI™ shoe was heavily inspired by the Samurai and their equipment

The designer of the GEL-KINSEI™ shoe, Hisanori Fujita, was heavily inspired by the Samurai and their equipment. From their armor, which protects the body while still allowing freedom of movement, to their Katana, which informed the shape of the heel on the GEL-KINSEI™ shoe. The shoe’s design blends traditional Japanese heritage in its ethos with the bold, technical, mechanical styling of the early Millennium.

“In school I knew of ASICS. Everyone does,” explained Fujita. “What I learned was that I could connect my love of sport and my love of design at ASICS.”

First released in 2006, the GEL-KINSEI™ shoe’s design was instantly lauded as advanced. One of the most technical running shoe on the market, it combined ASICS’ trademark I.G.S™ (IMPACT GUIDANCE SYSTEM) technology with a Discreet Heel Unit that featured three large sections of GEL™ technology bonded directly to it. Meanwhile, the weight-reducing TRUSSTIC™ technology, first presented in the GEL-KINSEI™ shoe and placed under the arch of the shoe, reduces the overall weight of the shoe thereby extending the life of the sole unit.

With its BIOMORPHIC FIT™ upper, the forefoot of the GEL-KINSEI™ shoe is identical to the GEL-KAYANO™ 12 shoe, with impressive comfort and flexibility. The magic of GEL–KINSEI™ shoe is, however, found in the heel. Three sections of GEL™ technology in the rearfoot cushion the foot at impact and adapt to the stability needs of the runner as the foot travels through the gait cycle. The GEL™ technology serves two separate roles here — a truly exceptional feat of engineering. The heel is held snugly in a plastic cradle, giving the shoe a good transition from foot impact to toe-off.

With its aggressive techno-modernist early-millennium styling, combined with the groundbreaking technology that made it such a pioneer in the first place, the 2019 GEL–KINSEI™ shoe brings back everything we loved about the OG, but for summer 2019.

AFT Features, AFTNews

ASICS Malaysia brings together 4,000 runners at the 2019 ASICS relay

The third annual ASICS in early September at Sepang International Circuit where it saw approximately 1,000 teams including running communities, ASICS Malaysia’s athletes and local running teams were seen racing the night relay in celebration of fitness, friendship and teamwork.

Beyond the race, participants took part in many exciting activities, spoilt with an array of food choices from the available food trucks to AirAsia’s Pak Nasser Nasi Lemak and also got to enjoy the night with several stage performances featuring an impressive line-up with names like DJ Jenni F and DJ Sharky.

“ASICS believes that the community can be easily brought together through sports, reflected here with the return of the ASICS Relay in Malaysia,” said Boon Tib Soom Nik, Country Manager of ASICS Malaysia.

2019 ASICS Relay

The night relay features two race distances – 42km Full Marathon and 21km Half Marathon. In teams of four, each participating team can choose from three relay categories – Male, Female, and Mixed team where each team member is required to complete 10.5 kilometers for Full Marathon, and 5.25 kilometers for Half Marathon to meet the total distance.

Running Across Four Cities

First runners from both race distances – 42km Full Marathon and 21km Half Marathon, kickstarting ASICS Relay 2019

The 2019 ASIC Relay is running across four major Southeast Asian cities, and it was kicked off first  in Jakarta, Indonesia (29 June), followed by Bangkok, Thailand (3 August) and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (7 September) before concluding the series in Singapore (26 October).

More than just a run, the event was an invitation to join the running movement and as a symbol of unity amongst Malaysians from different walks of life. ASICS Regional Ambassadors Jasmine Suraya (Malaysia), Toey Pangsakorn (Thailand), Olivia Jensen (Indonesia) & Zong Zi Jie (Singapore) were also seen running in a team to support the brand.

Runners also had the opportunity to try out the ASICS GEL-Kayano 26, GEL-Cumulus 21 & GT-2000 7 shoes at the trialing area, which is now available at www.asics.com/my and selected ASICS stores.