Hey guys,

Wow we got there. 100 founder updates!

I only wish that I started sending these when we first launched Runly in 2021. That would be quite the log of founder-led updates!

Nevertheless, it's incredibly cool to look back at the last couple of years that I have been writing these newsletters to you, the Runly community.

I spent a bit of time over the past week reflecting on some of the emails and updates that I've provided you with over the last two years.

In some ways, nothing has changed.

In other ways, everything has changed.

I'll try not too get too sentimental, because I feel like we're still in the very early stages of Runly, but it's a nice opportunity to reflect.

As I was looking through the previous newsletters, it was cool to reflect on some of the things that had changed, but also some things that feel just as real now.

This time two years I go I sent the 4th edition of the founder newsletter.

I wrote about how just the day before it took me 9 hours and 54 minutes, 2 pens & 3 permanent markers to send out all of the pre-orders.

It was a different time then. No team. No warehouse. Just me with stock piled up in unorganised boxes in my house. Sending orders manually, writing every single address, every thank-you note. Going down to the post office every single day with a little bag of orders, painfully paying for postage one-by-one as the line in the post office built up behind me.

Thankfully, we now have an unbelievable warehouse partner. It's a lot more streamlined and efficient! 

One thing that I also wrote about this time two years ago, was having my first angry customer email.

From memory, I think it was a parcel that got held up with Australia Post (*acts surprised*).

But one thing that hasn't changed since then is the customer service. I still reply to every single email. The good, the bad, the beautiful, the tear-jerkers, the uplifting, the interesting and sometimes even a little bit weird.

I've seen it all.

The Runly community is in a league of its own.

When I let everyone know about my crippling injury last year, I received hundreds of replies - the type of uplifting positivity and community that you can only dream of.

And on the flipside, you also get some not-so-uplifting emails now and then. But that's all part of it.

I wouldn't say I've become immune to those emails. Far from it, in fact I would say I take it more personally than I should. But I've definitely built up more of a resilience.

I'm not going to be able to take on the customer service by myself forever though. As we grow, it definitely takes up more of my time.

It will probably be our next hire. One thing I don't want to lose is that personal connection we have with you, our community.

On March 30th 2023, I announced the launch of the first R700 Hydration Vest. A truly monumental occasion, a product that has shaped the very identity of Runly.

It's our best-seller, our most recognisable product. It has sold out 20+ times across two colours since we launched it almost two years ago.

Reading that newsletter back on March 30th 2023, I don't think I gave it enough justice 😅 The email itself was a little subdued for such an occasion.

Looking back, it was a real turning point for the brand.

We went from a pretty one-dimensional single product brand, to all of a sudden competing with some of the biggest sports brands in the world.

I remember our first dispatch of the R700 happened days before my wedding, and then customers started receiving them as I was on my honeymoon.

The mental fortitude it took to not stare at my emails waiting for customer feedback was immense!

In the 46th newsletter, just over a year ago, I shared the story of how I got lost on a mountain in the high country by myself. The wind changed quickly as I reached the peak, a cold misty fog swept across the mountain in a matter of seconds and I was blind to finding my way down.

The temperature dropped considerably and I was shaking.

If I wasn't wearing my R700 vest that day, and had an extra layer of clothing in the back, I would have been stuffed.

Not only that, I had my phone in the zip to be able to track my general way back down via the GPS.

It was a close call though. I got back completely shivering. It took me several days to physically recover.

It was the first time for me that the R700 Hydration Vest became a piece of equipment that went beyond the convenience of carrying a bit of water, or carrying your phone or gels, in that moment it became a bit of survival gear.

On Feb 29th 2024 I shared a reflection of attending our first ever event. This excerpt from that email pretty much sums up our entire experience at not only our first event, but every event last year: