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Founder Update #81
Hey Legend!
As we head into the peak of the spring 'race season', I am blown away by how strong, diverse and connected the running community is.
You only have to attend one single event, Parkrun or run club to make a new friend, and to understand how powerful it is for runners (or just humans in general) to come together to form micro-communities.
It's something I love, and always have admired about the running community.
If you're feeling down, someone will get you up.
If you've got energy, there's a good chance you'll bring someone up with you.
And if nothing else, you'll have a chat, get healthy and go home in a better place than you were than when you left that morning.
That's powerful.
And when you compound that over time, it only gains momentum, becomes more impactful for not only you, but others.
That's why I love events.
But hey, it's not that easy.
This weekend we're heading down to the Warrnambool Running Fest on the south-west coast of Victoria.
A beautiful spot. Breathtaking.
But as I said, it's not easy.
There's a lot of work that goes into planning, getting to, operating, bumping out, travelling and organising an event.
For example when it comes around to leaving this Saturday morning, we'll have worked a full week, spend Saturday driving and setting up, Sunday working, packing down, three and a half hour drive back to Melbourne and the week starts again 5am on Monday.
Am I complaining? Of course not.
But I am recognising that it's a big, sustained effort.
And this magical thing happens when you get to a running event.
It's 6.30am on a Sunday morning.
It's freezing cold.
It's 6.30am on a Sunday morning.
It's freezing cold.
But you're sweating because you've been running back and forth to the car, setting up marquees and unpacking stock.
But you look up. Take a sip of your coffee.
The sun is rising.
The aura and energy of the running community is coming to life.
And you think, there is genuinely nowhere I'd rather be right now than here.
We made it a mission of ours to get to ten events this year.
It will end up being eleven by December. Eleven in around 9 months. A really great result, having come from nowhere at the start of the year.
When we started reaching out to event organisers in late 2023, we really felt like we had to prove ourselves. It was tough.
To prove that we were reputable. That we could be trusted partners.
That we could hold our own.
Now, it really feels like that has shifted. Organisers seem much more inclined to have us involved in their events, even partnering as sponsors.
And that's the benefit of showing up in person.
With the world going full-send into digital, there's still so much to be said about being there in person, face to face.
Let's be real - Runly competes with big, big international corporations.
Their budgets make ours look like a child's piggy bank.
The difference is we're willing to roll up our sleeves. We're willing to connect with the community - big events to the smallest of small.
We don't see this is an ROI exercise, we don't measure it in KPI's and report back to the board with some made up stats.
We're just real people who love being part of the running community.
QUICK-FIRE UPDATES:
1. Our free socks offer is ending midnight tonight! Get a free pair of socks when you pre-order the R700 Hydration Vest. Tap here.
2. We're shooting content for a new product tonight . Only 100 will be available in the first release. Revealed on September 30th.
3. For those that have been following along and asking, I'll be giving a pretty big personal update on my knee injury next week.
2. We're shooting content for a new product tonight . Only 100 will be available in the first release. Revealed on September 30th.
3. For those that have been following along and asking, I'll be giving a pretty big personal update on my knee injury next week.
COMMUNITY
A few community updates & links;
Join TEAM RUNLY on Strava here.
Our Running Blog, Articles & Tips
Read some of our awesome runner stories here.
Spring Sale is on now
