Event Recap: New Balance ‘The Runaway’ Pub Launch Party

New Balance have unveiled THE RUNAWAY: a new central London destination, launched to accompany NB’s sponsorship of the 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon. Billed as a unique take on the classic British pub, the Drop Date team attended the opening night to see what was going down…

The traditional English pub might not seem like an obvious choice for a marathon-themed venue, but New Balance have successfully managed to combine two of our favourite activities – running and rehydration – in a smart, central London location. The upstairs has been fitted out like the archetypal British boozer, serving Fullers and London Pride, with dartboards and jukeboxes surrounded by a curated display of New Balance memorabilia on the walls.

The downstairs area features a celebration of NB’s midsole technology in a Fresh Foam exhibition, as well as an innovative indoor take on the sponsored run concept: at the launch night, guests were invited to hop on a treadmill and get running – and in return, NB would donate £10 to charity for every minute endured. During the day, the downstairs area of the space will be used for strength and hit training, and will be a place for NB-sponsored runners and teams to come and train for the London Marathon.

There will be a variety of other exciting events going on at The Runaway, such as our very own celebration of the 997 to accompany the launch of the new 997H: join us on THURSDAY 24 JANUARY at The Runaway, The Big Grey Boutique, 64 Charing Cross Road, London (click here to see Google Map details) to see an exhibition of some of the rarest and most important iterations of the iconic silhouette, supported by the launch of the ‘New Balance 997 Cult Classic’ book from Woody and the Sneaker Freaker crew. And if your feet are feeling a little light in the New Balance department, you can check out the latest New Balance collection at END. by hitting the banner underneath.