9 years in the making.

RUNLY NEWSLETTER #137
Thurs Dec 18th
 
I've said it once & I'll say it again, I'm not sure there will be a time when I sit down to write this newsletter and think 'not much happened this week'.
 
This one is no exception.
 
But I will keep the recap short, because I want to share a story from 9 years ago.
 
Late last week we launched the brand new Hybrid Pro Running Vest in Black Gold. It's seriously sleek.
 
It's got a mild gloss gold logo front & rear, with all of the other elements being pure black. The only exception - 12 small light reflectors positioned around the vest for safer running in low light.
 
It's been a big hit.

Check it out here.
 
Now they always say your best ideas, and strangest thoughts usually happen in the shower.
 
Earlier in the week I was standing there after a long day, and I started thinking about what I tried to do 9 years ago.
 
9 years I ago I tried to create a running sock brand.
 
I didn't just try to do it, I did it.
 
Not many people would know about it, or to be honest, even have known about it at the time.
 
I didn't make a big deal out of it. I think it was probably a case of imposter's syndrome kicking in.
 
But the socks themselves? Epic.
 
In fact, they are not too different from our current collection of socks. 
 
And whilst that brand only existed for a short time, we had a small cohort of raving fans.
 
I think it didn't work for a couple of reasons.
 
Firstly, I wasn't open about it. I was so nervous to share with the world what I had created, and thus, it remained in the shadows.
 
Secondly, at that time I was still reasonably inexperienced in the world of business. I didn't understand how things worked. How could you sell a pair of socks online for $25 and call it a business?
 
It slowly faded into the abyss, never to be seen or heard about again.
 
But as I stood there in the shower, reminiscing about that socks venture that never flourished, in a way, I realised that it paved the way for Runly.
 
Perhaps if I didn't have conceptualised that idea 9 years ago, had a go at it, learnt some lessons, then Runly wouldn't exist now.
 
Or perhaps Runly would now be what that socks brand was 9 years ago - a fun little project in the shadows, with no sunlight to flourish.
 
Either way, I look back fondly on how that connection was made, and what we are doing now.
 
We are primarily known for our running vests, there's no doubt about it.
 
But there are many of you who read this email, in the thousands, who have purchased our running socks, but not the vest.
 
Perhaps they are not quite in the shadows as they were 9 years ago, but our socks are silent under-achievers.
 
As I was flicking through our website yesterday, it hit me that we have over 400+ reviews of our socks at an average rating of 4.9/5.
 
That is quite wild.
 
Our socks have become more and more popular throughout the year, as word spreads.
 
It's something, that alongside our vests, we will continue to push and innovate on next year throughout 2026.
 
And speaking of, before the end of this year I am going to be writing a longer-edition of this newsletter to wrap up the year.
 
Looking back at what happened - the events, the literal blood, sweat and tears, the launches & new products, the partnerships, the community & of course, you.
 
Run well,
Robbie