Arab News Japan
DUBAI: Japanese sports brand, ASICS to act as the official technical sponsor of Qatar’s leading ultramarathon race, East to West, taking place on Jan 6th.
Founded in 1949 and headquarted in Japan, ASICS is the leading designer and retailer of high-end athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories.
Their mission to empower the body and mind through sport is clear since the brand name is derived from Latin origin, which translates into “A sound mind in a sound body.”
This magnifies their portrayal and belief in the power of sports to uplift and enhance the human body and mind; hence the decision to sponsor Qatar’s leading ultramarathon race.
East to West is a 90km cross country race starting from the eastern coast in Doha to the western coast in Dukhan; it is the oldest and only ultramarathon race in Qatar organized by Qatar ultrarunners and sponsored by Qatar Sports For All Federation and Qatar Ministry of Sports and Youth.
Not only will ASICS supply branded race shirts for more than 700 registered participants, but also exclusive training sessions held by Islam Sallam, ASICS frontrunner and race cofounder.
This year marks the 6th edition of the race with multiple diverse nationalities giving long distance runners a new challenge as Islam Sallam mentioned about Qatar East to West (QEW) “As an organizer, QEW is so much more than just a race. The race represents an event that really encouraged ultrarunning in Qatar to take off, giving long-distance runners in the country and beyond an opportunity to test their endurance in a challenging distance. 90km is the distance from the east to the west of the country, and the race has become one of the most anticipated days on the running race calendar in Qatar. As runners ourselves, what started as a seed of an idea has grown into an event that is now recognised at the national level. We consider ourselves fortunate enough to be part of something so beautiful and genuine”.
Marketing manager for MEA for ASICS, Ana Seixas mentions her delightful support to bringing the benefit of movement saying, “ASICS is delighted to be a technical sponsor for East to West race. The ASICS Sound Mind Sound Body philosophy is about bringing the benefit of movement to everyone, and with our recently opened store in Doha, we are excited about being at the centre of running communities in Qatar and connecting with our customers in our store and during key race events such as this one.”