New Balance Home Run ended with a bang, infused with Bostonian heritage
Setia Alam was taken by storm with the New Balance Home Run on the weekend.
Being the origins of New Balance, elements of Boston, Massachusetts was also woven through the race village, the most notable of which was the Boston marching band that was in the direction of the home run and the finishers’ arc.
Performing an uplifting, energetic routine, that was exactly the rush of energy that motivated the runners to sprint towards the finishing line.
This is the first night run hosted by New Balance that brought 3,200 participants, both locally and internationally together to share the experience and make it a memorable benchmark. The aim of the race is to educate the supporters of New Balance on their rich running history.
Sam Adnan from FIT Malaysia conducted a warm up session with the runners to pump them up for the race. It was a 16km route run that began at the Oval Centre of Setia City Mall, looping through Setia Alam, before returning to the oval and the finishers’ arc.
The run was flagged off by New Balance management Andre Loong, Financial Controller of Stream Enterprise; sponsor Andrew Bann of Emirates Airline and celebrities including Radio Announcer Haniff, Nazri & Ray from Era FM, Wayne and Phei Yong from MY fm, as well as Ultra Marathon Blogger Evelyn Ang Loo (MissyBlurKit).
At the race village, performances were provided by the New Balance marching band, Elitez MMA Academy, and DJ Skeletor to entertain families and supporters of the runner while they wait for their return.
The runners were also excited by the Fresh Foam Experience trail as they have a feel of the first ever exclusive performance insole created by New Balance by incorporating feedback from runners test and analysis. The performance insole is known to be the first ever running biometrics produced by New Balance.
The Home Run also brought a new experience in the design of the medals, with it being the country’s first LED-lit race medals. The medal’s face, featuring the New Balance Home Run 2015 logo, lights up spectacularly when turned on, which was a hit during the victory laps after the race.
“Our aim was to create a fantastic race environment for our runners by giving runners a taste of the New Balance heritage, with exciting elements such as the Fresh Foam Path,” said June Teh, Brand Manager of New Balance Malaysia.
“We’ve seen an increase in the popularity of night runs in Malaysia in the past few years. We have previously hosted half-marathons, and this year we’ve achieved our aim to reach out to more runners, while also introducing the strong Bostonian heritage to the Malaysian public that is the core of New Balance,” continued Teh.
Lucky Draws kept the night interesting where fun prizes such as flights to Boston and Dubai from Emirates and gifts from 7-Eleven with a total worth of RM 17,000 were given away. Other partners for the evening include RedBull Product of Europe, Evian, RAKU, Uber, Isuzu, and Elitez Martial Arts Academy.
As the venue sponsor Setia City Mall has a lot to offer, like any other mall it has its varieties of branded outlets and restaurants. The mall is surrounded by 10.5 acres of beautifully landscaped park life, the park has a children’s playground along with a water jet plaza. Setia City Mall is a socially and environmentally sustainable, as it is not only a shopping destination but also a mall that contributes to the environment.
Event Details
Event name: NB Home Run 2015
Date: December 5, 2015 (Saturday)
Venue: Setia City Mall, Oval field. Setia Alam, Shah Alam.
Distance Categories: A – Men’s open, 16km
B – Women’s open, 16km
Start time: 8:00 pm
Venue Sponsor: SP Setia Bhd Group
Official Partners:
- Emirates (Official Partner)
- RedBull (Official Energy Drink)
- Uber (Official Private Driver)
- Raku (Official Digital Partner)
- 7-Eleven (Official Food & Beverages)
- Isuzu (Official Safety Partner)
- Evian (Official Drinking Water)
- Sworke (Official Eye-Wear)
