Dan on the podium. Final socks test. Here's what happened.

RUNLY NEWSLETTER #147
May 21st 2026
 
Robbie here, Runly founder.

I was just having a look at my last founder update just a fortnight ago, and some of the updates then seem already so outdated.

It is genuinely wild how fast things move and change. If you want the quick-fire updates you can skip down to the bottom of this email.

If you like to read about the journey, well continue on, you're in the right place.

Last weekend, like many of you, I headed down to the Great Ocean Road Running Festival.

It's an iconic race that just gets bigger and bigger. Close to 20,000 people took part in the event this year.

For us? We got a late call-up to activate.

I was stoked. It's a prestigious event and if I'm being honest, the brands there generally pay a lot of money in sponsorship to be there.

So when I was given the opportunity to get involved.. you don't have to ask me twice.

It's been almost 6 months to the day since my last multi-day outdoor event activation.

I head over to the warehouse and packed the ute. Marquee, displays, products, stands, weights, pegs, banners & everything else. It's jammed full.

I have done this many times. It's not my first rodeo, but that doesn't mean it gets particularly easier.

As I arrived on Friday afternoon to bump-in, it was an electric atmosphere. Some of the biggest brands on the scene were there. Brooks, Maurten & The Running Company to name a few, but big lifestyle brands too. A car brand, a mattress brand, food & more.

It was clearly going to be a true festival atmosphere - living up to its name.

But of course, not everything goes to plan.

As I was guided to my spot, I started unloading the ute. The marquee first.

And for context, I'm on my own, amongst some giant brands with big teams and contractors. But it's cool, I'm used to it and I have done it a hundred times.

I get the marquee out, shuffle it open on my own, one side at a time. Lifting and jostling it outwards. Chuck the roof on, velcro it up. Great start.

I turn back to the ute to get some pegs and sand weights.

In that split second I literally heard a freak gust of wind whooshing in my ear and then I'm smashed in the back.

In a split second the marquee is sideways on top of my car as I am holding onto a single pole with an outstretched arm, so as to stop it from barrelling down the main street of Apollo Bay.

People rush from around me to help and eventually pull it down, against the wild desires of that crazy gust of wind.

There are two lessons in it.

First of all, have the pegs unloaded and ready to go!

Secondly, I should probably be less stoic and get help next time.

The wind (clearly) was strong that day, and the next, so I wasn't able to fully bump-in all of our gear. Many activations there setup bare-bone structures to avoid any damage during the night.

Luckily, I had Dan there the next morning to help me get setup.

If you don't know Dan, he was a Runly customer and approached me at my first Gold Coast Marathon expo two years ago.

He saw my newsletter that morning and knew I was there on my own, and he offered to help. And I really needed it.

Since then Dan has worked at every major event we've been a part of.

Despite a rocky start, it was an unbelievable weekend up at the Great Ocean Road. Hopefully we get the call up next year and can do it all over again.

TESTING. TESTING. 1, 2 3…

As a running brand, before we release anything it goes through a series of tests. We ask questions like how does it perform, how does it feel and how does it hold up.

And at the Great Ocean Road Running Festival we had one final test to do for our new Performance Socks before they are released in two weeks.

And Dan was my guinea pig.

The final test? Wear them in an ultra marathon.

Dan was running in the 60km ultra at G.O.R, so it was a perfect time for a trial. He might be the least superstitious runner I've ever met, generally happy to throw something new on for a race day.

The perfect test dummy.

I really wanted Dan's feedback too. He's usually extremely honest with me, sometimes too honest. But he always wants the best for the brand.

So if it gets Dan's tick of approval, then it's good enough for me.

Dan is an extremely talented runner, and he's on the rise. 2:30(ish) marathon runner, and ultra runner.

It was a raging success. Both for me and him.

For Dan, he got on the podium for his age category in the 60km.

And for me, I got this message and feedback from Dan:

There is really no better feedback. Socks are a bit like that. You just want them to get the job done and get out of the way.

They've been tested now across every major distance, and they've passed with flying colours.

It's a unique performance blend that we created from scratch, based on everything we know, and everything that you have told us.

They are a high-end technical performance sock, different from anything we have now, and different from what's on the market. I can't wait to launch it in a couple of weeks. More on that soon.

QUICK-FIRE UPDATES:

🚀 Last week I said we were expecting a new sock delivery the next day. We got it, we launched it, and it's almost entirely sold out… There are but just a handful of socks left. The next restock is coming at some point mid-late next week.

🧦 Introducing the GOLD COAST CITY EDITION SOCK PACK! It's a limited edition three-piece sock pack celebrating the Gold Coast running community. If you're running in GC, or training in GC, this is for you. Pre-order here.

🔥 NEW HOODIE - Our new hoodie is available now and some sizes are already sold out. It's the comfiest hoodie you will ever own. Order yours here.

That's all for this week.

Run well,
Robbie