Raramuri and Skechers Vietnam hosted the first-ever hybrid (metaverse/real world) race allowing Vietnamese runners around the world to take part. The race included real-world city streets and virtual realms in the metaverse.
Raramuri is the flagship project in the open metaverse movement of Iron Sail that focuses on bringing the uniquely exhilarating and community-building experience of live sporting events into the metaverse. It has hosted hybrid running events that link blockchain to the real world.
In total, more than 600 runners from eight countries, including Vietnam, the US, Taiwan, Indonesia, The Philippines, and Canada took part in the Max Comfort Metaverse race. The race included a combined distance of 3,600km.
Besides being a major leap in combining metaverse and real-world events, the race marked a return to normalcy for runners after the pandemic. It provided an opportunity for runners and their supporters to come together virtually regardless of their social or geographical boundaries without health concerns.
The Max Comfort Metaverse Race
Runners used customized3D avatars projected onto the metaverse tracks to make their way through Raramuri’s one-of-a-kind virtual course. This allowed the runners to experience multiple dimensions of interactivity.
Just as in real-world races, participants could hear the footsteps of other athletes in close proximity giving them an opportunity to know when someone is on their trail.
Participants also enjoyed music and live commentary from national emcee Pham Anh, well-known for being an active member of the running community in Vietnam.
Fans and supporters were also able to watch the race unfold live on Raramuri’s live stream feed. They could also virtually cheer their favourite runners along the way.
NFT medals for winners
Those who finished the race received NFT medals and coupons that are redeemable at Skechers Vietnam store locations.
Commenting on the success of the event, Raramuri’s Chief Technology Officer, Nam Do, said:
“The success of this event shows that people all over the world are eager to come together once again to experience the thrill of live racing. Whether running solo from their hometown or joining the pack on city streets, this race connected communities in a way that wouldn’t have been possible just a few years ago without Web3 technology.”