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Irvette van Zyl joins ASICS

Roxanne MartinNewsLeave a Comment on Irvette van Zyl joins ASICS

ASICS is proud to announce the signing of Irvette van Zyl. Van Zyl is a long-distance runner with multiple South African titles and is the current women’s 50km ultramarathon world record holder. The Pretoria-based runner strengthens ASICS South Africa’s road-running athlete portfolio into 2022 and beyond.

“It is very special for me having a brand like ASICS – that has over 73 years of high-performance brand heritage – believing in me backing my dreams and goals,” said Irvette.

According to Irvette, aside from the performance aspect of the brand, she is a big believer in the importance of sport for mental wellbeing. “So ASICS’s ‘sound mind, sound body’ philosophy really resonates with me. When I go for a run in my ASICS, my mind and body are in sync, and it just sets the tone for my day,” she said.

Irvette made her marathon debut at the 2012 London Marathon, after which she turned her attention to shorter races on SA soil. Not long after, she began focusing on marathons and ultramarathons. She ran her best time of 2:28:40 at the 2021 Xiamen Tuscany Camp Elite Marathon in Siena, Italy. In May 2021, she broke the world record for the women’s 50km in a time of 3:04:23, bettering the previous record by almost three minutes.

Irvette races in the METASPEED™ Sky, a shoe developed at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science in Kobe, Japan, after utilizing the data accumulated from its athletes over the past year. Stride-style runners such as Irvetter take a longer stride once they increase their speed, but their cadence primarily remains consistent. Thanks to an energetic midsole foam and a propulsive carbon plate, Irvette will be able to conserve more energy while maintaining her pace at the later stages of the race.​

“The METASPEED™ Sky is an amazingly speedy shoe to race and train in,” she said, explaining how her focus for the rest of the 2022 season is on bettering her 10K and half-marathon times, distances in which she has won SA national titles in the past. “Then, towards the end of the year, I will be looking to do a quick marathon, so hopefully, all the speed work on the shorter distances will go a long way to increase my speed,” she concluded.

Modern Athlete will be meeting with Irvette next week to discuss the move to ASICS and what this means for her career going forward. To be the first to hear all the news make sure to follow us on Facebook.

Feel the Difference with the ASICS Virtual Run Challenge

Roxanne MartinNews40 Comments on Feel the Difference with the ASICS Virtual Run Challenge

Run your way out of Lockdown for a chance to win one of 300 pairs of ASICS running shoes and a trip to the 2021 Paris or Tokyo Marathon, by entering the ASICS x Virtual Run!

Amidst the isolation of lockdown, the world has fallen in love with running – that is, according to the findings of a new, ongoing research study by ASICS. More importantly, the research shows nearly three-quarters of runners around the world plan to stick with their new exercise routine. And out of this study was born an initiative, a series of virtual runs, to help people get moving and guide them in their newfound love for running.

Take note, however, that this Virtual Run is unlike any of those you’ve done before. It’s a six-week programme – see it as your motivation to get back out there and in hot shape for summer – with six levels to unlock as you progress, one each week starting now in September and running into October. And with that comes 300 pairs of ASICS shoes up for grabs, plus a trip to either the Paris or Tokyo Marathon in 2021, plus tons of other gear from our partners, so sign up here to kick your running into high gear!

The World Loves Running

The study, which ASICS is conducting to better understand and support the changing needs of runners, spoke to 14,000 regular exercisers[i] across 12 countries. It found that:

  • Since the start of lockdown, more than a third (36%) of regular exercisers are more active now than before – despite most sports being brought to a standstill by social distancing measures.
  • 79% of runners say running is currently helping them feel saner and more in control, and 65% of runners say its mental benefits outweigh any other form of physical exercise; and
  • 73% of runners want to keep running as much as they are now after this pandemic ends.

Meanwhile, figures from the fitness-tracking app, Runkeeper™, show that runners of every level are clocking up more strides, more often. During April 2020, the app saw a 252% rise in registrations globally and a 44% increase in monthly active users compared to the same time last year. It also reported a 62% spike globally in people heading out for a weekly run. Put in context, in the days around Global Running Day during our national lockdown, there was a +47.3% (globally) increase in people running compared to last year.

The study also reveals that for the majority of people, this activity surge is down to more than just physical health. Two-thirds (67% globally) say exercise helps them cope mentally when faced by challenging situations like this pandemic, and eight in ten (79% globally) runners insist that being active is making them feel saner and more in control. A similar number (81% globally) say running is playing a key role in helping them clear their mind while two-thirds (65% globally) insist its mental benefits outweigh any other form of physical exercise.

Furthermore, runners across the board are keen to keep their active habits going when this crisis is over. Nearly three-quarters of runners (73% globally) say they want to continue running as much as they are now after the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end while seven in ten (70% globally) people who exercise regularly are determined to hang on to the important role sport and movement is currently playing in their lives. Perhaps most encouragingly, among those who only took up running after the COVID-19 crisis started, nearly two thirds (62% globally) say they plan on sticking with it in future.

Helping South Africa Run
With all this wonderful, healthy running momentum, ASICS has launched its ASICS x Virtual Run. You can see it as your motivation to get back out there and in hot shape for summer, and a great challenge to add to your lockdown running programme. Six levels to unlock, running challenges to tackle, and amazing prizes to be won, including those 300 pairs of ASICS shoes up for grabs, an overseas marathon experience, plus tons of other gear from our partners. So sign up here to kick things into high gear, get moving and Feel the Difference with ASICS.

#VersusVirtualRun  #FeelTheDifference  #ASICS