Running brands had ignored the amateur's emotional connection to the sport. The aesthetic was futuristic and about performance alone. Tracksmith was built for the runner who rises at dawn to train before a day job.

What began as informal mentoring became a friendship, then a partnership: a plan, a seed round, and a brand founded together in Boston. Our role was the brand, creative and product architecture.

It was a chance to run the Rapha method in a new category. The model was the same; the culture was not. Rapha is European, Tracksmith is American. Cyclists shave their legs; runners drink beer in the shower. European luxury is exclusive; Ivy League prep is elitist and casual at the same time.

the hare

A hare relies on speed to survive, not to hunt. In folklore it is the trickster, outwitting bigger opponents. A runner's runner. We named him Eliot, after the Eliot Lounge in Boston.

The original drawing was commissioned from Gary Chalk — the illustrator of the Lone Wolf books and the board game Talisman, and a childhood hero. Adapted as a woven patch, it sits on almost every product.

the cultural calendar

An editorial calendar of the running year, first used at Rapha. It asks how a runner feels in each season and lets the answer drive product, marketing, photography and social.

winter training — delayed gratification
track — hope
summer training — fun
cross country — grit and grandeur
homecoming — nostalgia

Digital with Rotate. Retail on Chiltern Street, London. Meter magazine with DD&C.

Tracksmith is a cultural leader in running, with a loyal community around the world.