Xtep Hosts 10KM TIME TRIAL in Malaysia: 1,030 Elite and Mass Runners Pursue Personal Bests
Amidst a growing global focus on healthy living and a surge in younger running enthusiasts, the sport is evolving from casual participation towards the pursuit of personal bests (PBs). This trend sees more people engaging deeply with professional athletics, where professionally timed trials are crucial. The Penang 10KM TIME TRIAL perfectly embodies this shift, providing a premier platform for runners to challenge their limits .
Prior to the race, distinguished guests including Penang State Exco for Youth, Sports, and Health YB Daniel Gooi Zi Sen fired the starting gun to commence the competition. After all runners completed the course, YB Daniel Gooi Zi Sen delivered an inspiring speech, stating: "Penang is a land that nurtures sports talents, having produced world-class athletes including Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei and Datuk Nicol David, proving that dreams fueled by hard work know no bounds." The race featured a highly competitive field with participants ranging in age from 20 to 48, including professionals from various fields, among them five athletes capable of running sub-34 minutes for 10km, as well as national-level triathletes and ultramarathon champions. A large contingent of passionate recreational runners also took part, experiencing the thrill of competition.
This intense pursuit of PBs and breakthroughs highlights the current surge in sports enthusiasm and the growing demand for professional gear that helps athletes perform their best. To meet runners' evolving needs, Xtep uses innovative technology to develop high-performance gear for athletes of all levels aiming to break their limits and achieve PBs. The shoes worn by He Yong were Xtep's new flagship product – the 160X7.0 Championship Edition Collection (featuring the high-performance 160X7.0 PRO and the standard 160X7.0). Equipped with a GT700 or T700 carbon plate and ACE+ midsole technology delivering over 85% energy return rate, this series provides explosive power for peak speed. To honor the outstanding performances of the top seven finishers, Xtep presented each athlete with a pair of 160X7.0 Championship Edition running shoes – recognizing elite performance with elite gear.
This grand event was the highlight of Xtep's meticulously planned Malaysian activities for the global launch of its 160X7.0 Championship Edition Collection. The campaign began on August 16th with an exclusive Elite Appreciation Gathering at Xtep's first store in IOI Mall Puchong, Kuala Lumpur, where key opinion leaders and elite athletes had been among the first to experience the new products in depth. The following day (August 17th), the highly anticipated "10KM TIME TRIAL" large-scale competitive race took place in Penang.
From the technological showcase in Kuala Lumpur to the real-world validation on the Penang course, the Xtep 160X7.0 Championship Edition Collection was successfully launched in Malaysia. This event demonstrates Xtep's growing expertise in road running and commitment to supporting athletes through professional technology. It highlights Xtep's focus on serving the road running community and promoting professional competition. Moving forward, Xtep will remain steadfastly focused on road running, leveraging its professional technology to help runners worldwide break through their limits.
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Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Xtep Hosts 10KM TIME TRIAL in Malaysia: 1,030 Elite and Mass Runners Pursue Personal Bests
PENANG, Malaysia, Aug. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading professional sportswear brand Xtep hosted a mass-participation "10KM TIME TRIAL" race in Penang, Malaysia on August 17th, with He Yong claiming victory in the Elite Category with a time of 34:29 and Ang Chee Yiang winning the Mass Category in 39:38. Leveraging its position as a leader in performance running footwear, Xtep established this event as Southeast Asia's first large-scale timed trial designed specifically for advanced runners seeking to break their personal records(PBs). This unique format attracted fierce competition, drawing elite athletes not only from across Malaysia but also from Indonesia, Singapore, Uganda, Kenya, and Taiwan, China. Amidst a growing global focus on healthy living and a surge in younger running enthusiasts, the sport is evolving from casual participation towards the pursuit of personal bests (PBs). This trend sees more people engaging deeply with professional athletics, where professionally timed trials are crucial. The Penang 10KM TIME TRIAL perfectly embodies this shift, providing a premier platform for runners to challenge their limits . Prior to the race, distinguished guests including Penang State Exco for Youth, Sports, and Health YB Daniel Gooi Zi Sen fired the starting gun to commence the competition. After all runners completed the course, YB Daniel Gooi Zi Sen delivered an inspiring speech, stating: "Penang is a land that nurtures sports talents, having produced world-class athletes including Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei and Datuk Nicol David, proving that dreams fueled by hard work know no bounds." The race featured a highly competitive field with participants ranging in age from 20 to 48, including professionals from various fields, among them five athletes capable of running sub-34 minutes for 10km, as well as national-level triathletes and ultramarathon champions. A large contingent of passionate recreational runners also took part, experiencing the thrill of competition. This intense pursuit of PBs and breakthroughs highlights the current surge in sports enthusiasm and the growing demand for professional gear that helps athletes perform their best. To meet runners' evolving needs, Xtep uses innovative technology to develop high-performance gear for athletes of all levels aiming to break their limits and achieve PBs. The shoes worn by He Yong were Xtep's new flagship product – the 160X7.0 Championship Edition Collection (featuring the high-performance 160X7.0 PRO and the standard 160X7.0). Equipped with a GT700 or T700 carbon plate and ACE+ midsole technology delivering over 85% energy return rate, this series provides explosive power for peak speed. To honor the outstanding performances of the top seven finishers, Xtep presented each athlete with a pair of 160X7.0 Championship Edition running shoes – recognizing elite performance with elite gear. This grand event was the highlight of Xtep's meticulously planned Malaysian activities for the global launch of its 160X7.0 Championship Edition Collection. The campaign began on August 16th with an exclusive Elite Appreciation Gathering at Xtep's first store in IOI Mall Puchong, Kuala Lumpur, where key opinion leaders and elite athletes had been among the first to experience the new products in depth. The following day (August 17th), the highly anticipated "10KM TIME TRIAL" large-scale competitive race took place in Penang. From the technological showcase in Kuala Lumpur to the real-world validation on the Penang course, the Xtep 160X7.0 Championship Edition Collection was successfully launched in Malaysia. This event demonstrates Xtep's growing expertise in road running and commitment to supporting athletes through professional technology. It highlights Xtep's focus on serving the road running community and promoting professional competition. Moving forward, Xtep will remain steadfastly focused on road running, leveraging its professional technology to help runners worldwide break through their limits.


CNA
05-08-2025
- CNA
Olympic champion Evenepoel to join Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe team
Belgian Olympic gold medallist Remco Evenepoel will leave Soudal Quick-Step and join Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe at the end of the 2025 season, his current team said on Tuesday. The 25-year-old former Vuelta a Espana winner, who won gold in the road race and time trial at last year's Paris Games, joined Soudal Quick-Step in 2019, and was contracted to the team until the end of 2026. "Representatives of Remco informed the team's management that he did not wish to discuss an extension of his current agreement," Soudal Quick-Step said in a statement. "The team's ownership and management have decided that it is in best interest of everyone to agree that Remco can move at the end of the current 2025 season." In December, Evenepoel collided with the open door of a vehicle while training in Belgium, suffering multiple fractures, a dislocated collarbone and contusions to both lungs. He underwent surgery and worried he might have to retire, but returned to competition in April. Evenepoel was third overall when he abandoned the Tour de France during the 14th stage last month.


CNA
31-07-2025
- CNA
Once back of the pack, Chinese running shoes now look to surge ahead in Singapore market
SINGAPORE: At the start of the decade, they were either unheard of or dismissed and disregarded as inferior to the likes of Nike, Adidas, New Balance and Asics. But along with a broader turning of the tide that has seen made-in-China products lose their stigma, Chinese running shoes are increasingly becoming mainstream - and becoming a hit for their perceived value in more ways than one. In particular demand are Chinese 'super shoes', which are high-performance running shoes featuring technology like a carbon plate that propels runners forward. Although he only started running seriously at the start of 2025, 32-year-old Singaporean Justin Lim already owns six pairs of shoes from Chinese brands such as Xtep, Qiaodan and BMAI. He was introduced to these brands by influencers on Chinese social media platform Douyin. At first, it was the price. In March, he got his first pair of trainers online for about S$60 (US$46) – about half the cost of a similar trainer from any other 'established' brand outside of China. But what really surprised him was the quality of the shoe. It lasted him 800km, before he bought the same model again. 'For the price, it lived up to the quality," said Mr Lim, who is an army regular. "And the fact that there are so many people in China wearing it; I could trust it." CHINESE EXPANSION Following the COVID-19 pandemic, marathon events have surged in China, with the nation hosting in 2024 alone nearly 750 road running events drawing over 7 million runners. Coupled with rising purchasing power, it paved the way for domestic growth in the Chinese running shoe market. The brands then turned their attention to the region. At the end of 2023, the Singapore Runners Club (SRC) - one of the country's largest, with over 15,000 members in a private Facebook group - was approached by Chinese brands to promote their products. 'They wanted to break into the Singapore market, and they approached us for some kind of leverage to push their branding into Singapore,' said club founder Eugene Beh. The brands Anta and Li-Ning began by offering discounts to members of the running club, and also gave out shoes to some of them to post on social media. Mr Beh added that SRC has also worked with Qiaodan and will be doing so with Xtep as well in the coming months. Promotion of these shoes, along with their lower prices and perceived equivalent quality to more established names, has led to higher take-up of Chinese brands among club members, said the founder. 'When we run in a group, as a runner, I'm curious about people's shoes; that's where I noticed that there's a shift from the Western shoes to the Chinese shoes,' said Mr Beh. One way is in how runners talk about their latest gear. Instead of referring to Nike models, they have been dropping lingo and terms related to Qiaodan's Feiying, Li-Ning's Feidian and BMAI's Jingtan among others. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Singapore Runners Club (@singaporerunnersclub) DOUBTS QUASHED Not all runners, however, have been willing to dip their feet into Chinese products. There are those in SRC who have stuck to the household names, primarily due to the belief that they have a more established track record. 'There is a minor group of runners in our club loyal to Western brands, it's a small percentage (who) feel that these brands are tried and tested,' said Mr Beh. Other runners, like competitive marathoner Giebert Foo, also admitted to an initial perception of Chinese shoes as being of lower quality and durability. But the 34-year-old public servant's curiosity was whetted about three years ago when several friends started to don Chinese super shoes. Light research showed that some of these shoes could be obtained at about S$150 to S$200, and with his friends insisting they were comparable to Nike and Adidas offerings, he was compelled to give it a go. Super shoes from more established brands typically retail between S$300 and S$400. Mr Foo found Chinese super shoes to be more 'aggressive' – runner parlance for a shoe propelling them forward with more force with every step. He said that around 90 per cent of his friends own Chinese super shoes now, up from half of them back in 2022. Some of Singapore's top runners have also had their racing performances boosted by Chinese brands. This reason alone made the switch from Nike super shoes to Qiaodan ones about three years ago a 'no-brainer' for Mr Darren Southcott, who holds the fastest marathon timing by a Singapore resident so far this year. He said about 60 per cent of runners from his club, Singapore Shufflers, have at least one pair of Chinese running shoes. At the start of the decade, almost no one was wearing them. The 33-year-old added that the high prices set by more established brands were unjustified, given that the shoes are likely also made in China or surrounding regions. 'A lot of Western brands have their shoes produced in Asia as well … These big brands could sell shoes a bit cheaper, but they know people will buy them at a more expensive price,' he said. "It's purely marketing, putting a fancy branding on it.' LOCAL BUSINESSES LATCH ON Some Chinese brands have already set up shop in Singapore: Anta opened its first store in 2023 and has 11 islandwide, while Li-Ning opened its first of two stores at the end of 2024. CNA has contacted Anta and Li-Ning for comments on their expansion plans in Singapore. Meanwhile local sports retailers, too, have caught on and are looking to bring in more Chinese shoes. Key Power Sports founder Robert Lu was sent a pair of Xtep shoes in 2022 to try out, and immediately noted that they were just as good as the bigger brands. 'From there, I had confidence in myself to bring in the brand, because when I bring in anything I'll try it myself,' he said. Mr Lu said sales have been growing since, in the region of a 50 per cent bump over the last two years. He said the quality of the shoes speak for themselves, and mirrors the rise of other Chinese products outside of running. 'For example, many years back they talked about (electric vehicle brand) BYD and say that it is a copycat; but now when you look at Chinese brands - their design, development and quality has already caught up with the international level,' he said, pointing to BYD becoming the best-selling car brand in Singapore. Operations manager of Pangu Running, Mr Willy Tan, said the same. The local brand opened a physical store at Kallang Wave Mall in June, after starting out as an online shop just months earlier. One of the main brands stocked there is BMAI. Mr Tan said sales of BMAI shoes and apparel to walk-in customers has gone up by 30 per cent, compared to when they were online-only. Asked if he felt threatened by the growing presence of Chinese brands - as seen in the local food-and-beverage scene - Mr Tan said Singapore was "fair game".