As the mercury keeps climbing on the outside and COVID-19 continues to plague the world, Dubai Sports Council and Japanese sports drinks giants Pocari Sweat have come together to provide some much-needed relief for members of the community with a virtual run that every member of the household can take part in.

Pocari Sweat is an Ion supply drink from Japan. Pocari Sweat replenishes what you lose through sweating to balance your body fluid and it hydrates you longer than water.

Sports is known to spread cheer and positivity, and the ‘PocariSweat 10K Run’, which takes place on July 3, aims to do just that, with participants free to choose between a 5km and 10km run and allowed to create their own unique fun course, making use of the indoor and, if permitted by authorities, outdoor space in and around their home and community. They can even run on a smart or traditional treadmill.

The Pocarisweat 10K Run is open to participants of any age and ability from around the world, but the Run will take place in Dubai time, from 12:01am to 11:59pm on July 3. Registration is free for everyone through Dubai Sports Council’s official website (https://www.dubaisc.ae/POCARISWEAT10KRUN) until 11:59pm of July 1.

Participants can choose from five categories – Male and Female for 5km, Male and Female for 10km and People of Determination for 5km, and there will be handsome prizes on offer for the top three finishers in each of those categories. There will also be a special prize for the person who designs the best course for his or her run.

To make a claim for those prizes, participants will have to make sure they first download the Dubai Sports Council official app, which is available on both Android and Apple platforms (https://dscmobileapp.ae/DSCAPP/api/download), and sign in with the credentials they have used to register on the Dubai Sports Council website.

Once they log into the application on race day, users will be seeing a “Start Pocari Sweat Challenge” button. Click on it, and they will be taken to the “Smart Health – Running” screen, which will show such details as the distance, speed, and calories burnt.

The application detects the user’s body movement through different sensors on the smartphone to calculate the speed and distance, so participants, once they click on start, will need to make sure they have the device on their person – in their pockets or in an armband.

The Run – 10km or 5km – will need to be completed in one stretch and the application will notify users once they have reached their target. They will then see an activity summary screen, which will show the total time taken and calories burnt.

The participant will need to click the “Save” button to save the activity and then they can compare their time with other participants on the leaderboard.

The participants should then upload a photo or screenshot of their result to their Instagram page, and tag #PocariSweat10KRun, making sure their account setting is public so that the organisers can see their participation entry.

If the participants do not have an Instagram page, they can also email a screenshot of their result and the organisers will upload it for them. The cut off time for uploading results and tagging #PocariSweat10KRun is midnight on run day.

To be eligible for the ‘Best Course’ design, participants will need to make a video of the course, explain it or draw it, and upload it to their Instagram page, tagging #PocariSweat10KRun.