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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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,” said Josh Tendler, Head of Marketing, District Technologies. “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.
Heng Zee Wang, Chief Marketing Officer, AIA Bhd. 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.”
The District app is available for download via the App Store and Google Play Store.
General registration for District Race Malaysia by AIA Vitality, is still open for free sign ups by downloading the app at: https://rebrand.ly/DistrictRaceMY
For more information, follow @DistrictRaceMY on Facebook and Instagram, or visit the event page at: www.exploredistrict.com/en/events/district-race-my-2021