Video | Singapore, Hong Kong hosts for tech-fuelled urban races that combine fitness and augmented reality

Events part of a global series meant to inspire urban dwellers to get off the couch and rediscover their city as they race to clear dozens of augmented-reality checkpoints and tackle challenges on the go

Hong Kong and Singapore are among the cities chosen to host events in the inaugural District Race, an urban exploration race in which participants navigate challenges in a smartphone app and pass through augmented-reality checkpoints. Photos: Jonathan Wong and The Fullerton Heritage Hotel

Published: 12:31pm, 23 Feb 2018Updated: 10:56am, 26 Feb 2018

The world’s first urban exploration race series that combines technology with fitness is coming to Singapore and Hong Kong.

Called District Race, the event taps peoples’ inner explorer while tearing them away from the mundane and superficial, and from the couch, says District Race co-founder and chief executive Ben Pember. It’s also an innovative way to get fit and a fun alternative to hiking or running, he says.

“We plan to get participants off the well-beaten paths and discover parts of Hong Kong they never knew existed,” says Pember.

Participants in the District Race will have two hours to pass through as many virtual checkpoints as they can.

The concept is simple. Armed with the District App, participants navigate a city, taking on challenges along the way, and stopping at more than 80 virtual checkpoints brought to life by augmented reality and location-based technology. In 2016 Hong Kong, like much of the world, was gripped by Pokemon Go, a smartphone game that used mobile augmented reality.

Participants have two hours to clear as many checkpoints and challenges as possible, accumulating points along the way that help them move up the leader board. Points are based on the difficulty of each challenge.