Do communities need brands?

It's the eternal conversation about the relationship between culture and commerce, and it's so evident in the running world in 2025

The conversation about where brands and the media fit into the topic of run culture came about in the spring when a mammoth number of activations, shakeouts, and other miscellaneous events popped up around the Boston and London Marathons.

There was conversation about run culture “peaking,” which I addressed here, but it led to the more meaningful question of how does running move forward sustainably?

In the second of my conversations at Runlimited in London last month, I invited a few interesting voices from the running world to talk it all through. Joining me in the discussion was:

• Ellie-May Brooks, global marketing lead of On

• Simon Freeman, publisher of Like the Wind magazine

• Ali Wilkinson, EMEA Marketing Manager, Running at New Balance

The role of brands in running culture

AW “First and foremost it’s about creating an infrastructure or ecosystem around sport that allows accessibility and inclusivity. When brands are heavily involved, you have to take a step back and think about what value…