On October 14th, Sports Day, the "BOOST Running Festa in the National Stadium" was held. The main event was the "Relay Marathon," where teams could freely choose the distance, number of times, and order of running. It was divided into three categories: "Half Relay Marathon," "Full Relay Marathon," and "Night Relay Marathon," and each was further divided into categories such as "General Division" and "Mixed Division."
This time, a team from the blockchain game "STEPN," known for its concept of "Move to Earn," in which participants earn money by walking, participated in the event. Iolite closely covered the event and will publish the event report.
This time, Iolite mainly focused on the "Full Relay Marathon".
STEPN also participated in this event as a gold sponsor, and exhibited a booth with other well-known companies. At the booth, a lottery was held where people could win "STEPN BOOST T-shirts", "STEPN GO wristbands", and "STEPN GO free trial codes", and many people were seen visiting.
In fact, there were many people wearing T-shirts related to STEPN at the venue, and it seemed that many people participated through STEPN. STEPN, which incorporates Web 3.0 elements as a lifestyle app, is proof that it has moved beyond the so-called "earn money from games" and is moving into a phase of action and interaction in the real world.
And Yawn Rong, co-founder of FSL, which handles STEPN, also attended this event. Not only was it not a direct Web 3.0 event, but it was quite rare for him to come to Japan, a foreign country, even when looking at other projects.
As the start approached, the excitement in the venue grew. The 292 teams of runners lined up at the starting line, each with their own purpose and goal, eagerly awaiting that moment.
This event attracted a large number of runners of all ages, both male and female. From elementary school students to people over 80 years old, participants of a wide range of ages gathered.
Participating teams were made up of 2 to 15 people, and in the "full relay marathon," participants competed for the fastest finish after 30 laps of 1.4km.
The participating teams were divided into categories, such as the "general division," the "mixed-gender division," and the "company division," allowing participants to participate according to their goals.
In fact, within the STEPN team, multiple teams were formed, such as "serious runners" and "enjoyment runners," and each team faced the 42km in their own way.
Once the marathon started, we could see each team running, from those aiming for a higher rank to those who ran with everyone from adults to children. The running of the team aiming for the top was particularly eye-catching, and the STEPN "serious" team was also fighting hard.
In the teams aiming for a higher rank, each team would have a detailed strategy and you would think there would be a grim atmosphere, but that wasn't the case. In fact, it was impressive to see them seriously aiming for their target rank, but above all, having fun. And it wasn't just one team, almost all the teams were having fun naturally.
Meanwhile, the STEPN "serious" team continued to run well at the top, finishing about 2 hours and 20 minutes after the start. They put up a great fight, coming in second in the "general division".
At the moment of the finish, Yawn rushed over to witness the brave figure of the STEPN community. It was particularly impressive to see them sharing their joy with their team members.
After the event, a social gathering was held at Tokyo Culture Culture in Shibuya for participants who had come from all over Japan to participate in the event.
At the social gathering, the achievements of the hardcore team were once again celebrated, and the venue was filled with a warm atmosphere. There was also time set aside for conversation during the social gathering, and the atmosphere was very lively as participants talked about the marathon relay, STEPN, and STEPN GO.
In the second half of the social gathering, a raffle was held where participants could win real Adidas shoes, guest codes for GMT and STEPN GO, and more. When the real Adidas shoes were drawn, the venue was filled with excitement, with Adidas calls erupting.
The social gathering was held in a bright atmosphere from start to finish, and participants deepened their friendships with each other, and it ended with great success.
I'll repeat myself, but this event itself is not directly related to Web 3.0. Nevertheless, the fact that so many STEPNers gathered, enjoyed themselves, and voluntarily worked to popularize STEPN as a result of Web 3.0 is a testament to the power of the STEPN community. Even within the Web 3.0 field, the strong unity of the STEPN community is something special.
The STEPN community said that their goal was to make STEPN known to a wider audience through this event, and judging by the active outreach and the strong presence at the venue, it seems that they were able to achieve this goal.
I'd like to keep an eye on the activities of the STEPN community in the future.
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