● Decorated runners Adam Clarke and Charlotte Purdue named as Co-founder and Coach respectively of the new venture
● WithU also celebrates being named fastest-growing leisure and entertainment business in Europe with a 245.8 percent Compound Annual Growth Rate
● The company provides health and wellness experiences for global brands, including Visa, Orange, McDonald’s, Sky, Vodafone and John Lewis & Partners
British FitTech company WithU and a trio of top British athletes including Sir Mo Farah are joining forces to launch URUNN - a new hyper-personalised fitness app targeting the vast multi-billion global running community.
The new joint venture company has been co-founded by Sir Mo, one of the most decorated long-distance runners in the history of athletics, alongside fellow long distance runners Adam Clarke, who will also act as CEO of the new company, and Charlotte Purdue, taking on the role of Coach.
Set to launch later this year, URUNN combines the hard-learned experience of world class athletes - who are used to performing at the very highest levels of competitive sport - and proprietary fitness technology developed by British fit-tech innovator WithU.
The team behind URUNN says the game-changing product will raise the bar in the running app space because of the record-breaking performance and coaching knowledge that will be “baked in”.
The announcement comes as West London-based WithU has been independently reported to have achieved ‘hyper growth’ with a compound annual growth rate (GAGR) of 245.8 percent following a period of rapid business expansion, which has seen the company named the fastest-growing leisure and entertainment business in Europe*.
Key to WithU's growth is the company's strategic partnerships with household name brands including Samsung, Hugo Boss and Visa, amplifying the reach of its existing portfolio of FitTech products globally.
The creation of URUNN, with ownership of the company split equally between WithU, Sir Mo, and Adam Clarke, continues this strategic direction, marking the FitTech company's next stage of growth, marking its first product launch within a dedicated fitness category: running.
Steve Clarke, CEO and Co-Founder of WithU, said: “Partnerships with world-leading brands have been integral in our growth strategy to date, and today I am delighted to announce a new partnership and welcome three incredible athletes to WithU.
“Together, we are developing the first truly hyper-personalised running app that we believe will be a category killer product for the global running community.
Adam Clarke, Co-Founder and CEO of URUNN adds, “I’ve been a runner all my life, even when it wasn’t seen as cool. Today, to see how many people now share my passion for the sport, and are getting to experience how life-changing running can be, is truly inspiring - this is why we’ve created URUNN.
“Everyone gets into running for a different reason, whether it's wellness, mental health or a personal one. But the common thread I’ve seen amongst runners of every level is a competitive spirit creeping in, and a quest for self improvement in your running.
“We’ve created URUNN to help all runners get to that next stage, whether it's hunting a new PB, getting ready for your first race, or for improving general fitness. Every elite runner, no matter how long they’ve been in the game, including myself, Mo and Charlotte, has, and needs a coach. To be there for accountability, and to handle the mental load needed for a runner to achieve new heights. URUNN is that, in a digital form, for everyone with a passion for running and bettering themselves.”
WithU CEO Steve Clarke explained that URUNN is a natural progression in WithU’s partnership growth strategy which has resulted in long-standing relationships delivering fitness, health and wellness products to some of the world’s biggest brands, including John Lewis & Partners, Orange, McDonald’s, Samsung, Sky and Vodafone.
He adds,: “We are very excited to partner with a trio of elite athletes who have a collective lived experience at the highest competitive levels. This will enable us to deliver a user experience unlike any other running app in the space.”
Commenting on the joint venture announcement, Sir Mo Farah, Co-Founder of URUNN said: “Running has been, and is my life, so to be co-founding a business where I can pour my life’s work and achievements into raising the performance standards among other runners is both a privilege and an exciting opportunity.
“Tens of millions of people worldwide run regularly for fun, fitness and competitively at all levels, but there is a need for an enhanced level of genuinely personalised support designed for competition, achieving personal bests and race readiness.”
He added: “The WithU team has both the ambition and technical capability to achieve this, and I am excited to join forces and create a product that I know runners need.”
Kaleigh Frost, Chief Growth Officer and Co-Founder of WithU, explained: “URUNN will build on WithU’s extensive experience of supporting runners who have used our award-winning WithU app via our former three-year partnership with parkrun.
“By analysing this member data over the course of three years, we’ve gained unique insights into the sophisticated and unique needs of runners.
With URUNN, we’re bringing together this data-informed focus on hyperpersonalisation, and the magic behind Purdue Performance - the global bespoke coaching service and community that has never had a member withdraw - in an engaging and motivating app that helps members get race ready and fall deeper in love with running.”
