#155 - Motivation Won’t Save You | Tayo Fam on Discipline, Consistency & Building Runnpac

In this episode of the RunThrough Podcast, we’re joined by Tayo Fam, co-founder of Runnpac, one of the most diverse and community-driven run clubs in London. Tayo chats through how Runnpac started and what’s gone into building a community that brings so many different people together through running. 

Sitting down with host Ben Sheppard, the conversation touches on discipline, staying consistent, and why motivation doesn’t always carry you through. They also get into the importance of diversity in the running space, taking risks, and how being part of a strong community can really shape your mindset and growth. It’s an easy, honest conversation with plenty to take away, whether you’re into running or just looking for a bit of perspective. 

If you would like to join Tayo and Runnpac, they will be joining RunThrough on 22 April at Battersea Park. For an exclusive discount code, head to their Instagram now. Listen now and don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes of the RunThrough Podcast.

Ben Sheppard - https://www.instagram.com/bensheppard93/

Tayo Fam - https://www.instagram.com/tayofampt/

Runnpac - https://www.instagram.com/runnpac/

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's happening? Welcome back to the Run Through Podcast. It is Ben Shepherd here. Today I'm catching up with Teo Fan, co-founder of Runpak, one of the most diverse and community-driven run clubs in London. You're about to hear Teo share the story of how Runpak started and what it takes to build a community that brings so many people together through running. We also dive into some really important topics like discipline, staying consistent when motivation dips, and why being part of a strong community can make such a difference in your growth and your mindset. It's a class conversation, easy, honest, and plenty of takeaways in there. Teo really has a way with words which you're about to hear. So if you're a runner or you're just looking for a little bit of perspective, I think you're going to enjoy this one. And if you want to meet Teo and get involved with Run Pack in person, they'll be joining us at Run Through on the 22nd of April at Batity Park. You can check out their Instagram for an exclusive discount code. Right, let's jump into my conversation with Teo Fan on the Run Through podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

When the motivation to get updates, you remember from discipline that you have to be up every day. So why stop now? What they see out online or on socials is that it's achievable. A lot of time you just see the photo at the end and the timer besides saying 2.31 or 252. But a lot of the times you're not seeing the graph. Me and my friend Trey, we kind of came up with the idea together to basically bring down like people who had never raced before. And in the community, there's so many people who are deeply involved. They run every Sunday with us, 5K Greenwich, they do track sessions every Thursday with us in my land. So my name is Teo. I'm a personal trainer for conditioning coach. Been doing that for like the last coming up to 10 years now. And uh a few years ago, I started London's best, most diverse running club called uh Run Pack. And since then, I've just been kind of having fun running in the space, getting to know new people, and sort of building bridges, really.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Right, I think we'll start with Run Pack and then we'll get into everything else from there. Um, you said London's best, most diverse run club. June 2023, I think I'm right in saying that was the kind of birth of Rumpack. But leading up to starting it, why did why did you decide, you know, I need to jump into this running space and I need to decide, I need to start something of my own? Like what was what were the what were the moments that took you to that point?

SPEAKER_01 2:30

There were there were a few reasons, and obviously Rumpack is not just myself. I have my two other co-founders. So each of them kind of has their own reason for their journey and and how we all kind of got together. But for me, there was two main reasons. And one was linking back to what I already do as a shunter conditioning coach. I I wanted to work with athletes, runners, fighters, whatever it might have been, and I figured, oh, you know, best way to do that is to actually like be in the space with them. Um, I have like a running past when I was in secondary school. I used to do athletics, I did 1500 meters, um, and a couple other sports. So I had a bit of running in me, but obviously not as much as like I do right now. And and that was kind of reason one. So like in 2022, it was an idea, and then I just never really got around to it. I kind of shied away from actually trying, and then I just continued on doing whatever I was doing. So then coming into 2023, one of my co-founders who had kind of just started running himself and getting really active, he signed me up to, I think it was an ASIC's 10k at the time, which has now been replaced by a Socony 10. Um, so he signed me up to one of those, and then I got injured um randomly, not running related. I uh pronated like two discs in my lower back, so I had like a really like poor period of like recovery, feeling uncomfortable, unwell, unable to lift. Um, and the doctor was like, you know, you can't basically trade weights ever again. And I was like, you're you're you're bluffing, that's crazy. Um, but at the time I actually couldn't do anything, but for some reason I was still able to run. So I started off running lightly with him, and then he had already at this point been running with like three or four of her people on a Sunday morning, and when I felt like strong enough to attend, I linked up with him and a couple others, and we did like what would have been like the third or fourth run at that time, and I just remember coming home from it feeling like this is exactly what I asked about in the beginning. This is exactly what I wanted to kind of create, and sometimes you know it's it's all well and good doing things by yourself, but you go further when you do it together, right? So I kind of um just messaged him and then my other co-founder and was like, uh guys, let's start a run club, and boom, here we were. So at this point, it was mainly about having people to keep me accountable because I couldn't lift, I couldn't stretch, I couldn't do anything else, but I could run. Um and I love moving, so I needed to be able to do that consistently and not shy away from it, and that's what this group was about for me.

SPEAKER_00 5:04

I think that's so cool because like it started as something almost for you and it's turned into something for so many other people. And it must feel like that on a you know meet by meat basis, and when you're seeing people that have been impacted by Rumpack, it must be kind of weird then reflecting back and thinking, like, I kind of just did this for me, but it's pretty sick that it's kind of grown to what it is, right?

SPEAKER_01 5:27

Yeah, like I think I think a lot of the time, I won't say this about everyone, I can only speak for myself, but a lot of the time we kind of had these, and selfish isn't always a bad word, but we always had these kind of personal needs or wants, and yeah, you could call it selfish sometimes, but then you don't actually realize how sometimes the things you want impact and help other people naturally. Um, and I think it was one of those situations where I wanted to work with certain people, I wanted people to motivate me, and then I end up being the one who's motivating others and working with helping other people work with like brands and like their favorite runners, etc., and stuff like that. So it's all kind of just flipped on its head, and everything that I wanted, I'm now being able to give out to everybody else.

SPEAKER_00 6:10

Yeah, that discussion around the word selfish is always such an interesting one, isn't it? Because like inherently we think that's bad, but like if we kind of want to take our best foot forward, I think being selfish is yeah, sometimes the most important thing, isn't it? Because like I'm sure you see this in your in your day-to-day with like PT and like to take that first step into being like, I want to be better, you have to be selfish in some respects. Of course, yeah, yeah, like I agree.

SPEAKER_01 6:37

I think um for me, like I I started using that word selfish really early in like year nine or year ten. Um, and reason being, and it was it must have been year 10 because I would have been getting ready for GCSEs, etc. But I remember it's kind of a bad situation. Um, a friend of mine had like passed away, and I remember I attended the funeral and something had happened that same uh that same week, something had happened. Um, and I remember coming to school, being upset, crying, etc., all of that stuff, and my English teacher kind of set me down and said to me, Listen, um, I get that you're going through whatever you're going through, but this isn't the time for that. And I looked at her thinking, you know, I'm I'm I'm sad I'm upset where's where why am I being consoled? And essentially she said to me, It's not the time for that right now because you're like the decisions you're making now are gonna impact you for the rest of your life, and it's time to be selfish. And that was the first time I heard the word used in that way, where it wasn't necessarily being selfish where you're taking things from other people, it was more about being selfish to yourself and like not, you know, indulging in something or not taking the easy way or not allowing your circumstances to get the better of you, even though you're in a hard or a tough situation, focus on the thing that you want to use or do to make you great. And that's where I started using the word selfish and kind of reflect reframing it to mean something different instead of what we all typically think it means.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

Uh that's mad as well because that shows the impact that something that somebody said that probably in the moment for them didn't feel like a massive thing. Like that teacher saying that to you was probably like just gonna help, just gonna help Teo move forward in this moment. But there's something you've you've held on to. And and again, it's probably a lesson that I would imagine you've learned when it comes to advice and wisdom that you depart on other people, whether it's part of um pack or part of the day-to-day life. Like words can be dead powerful sometimes, can't they?

SPEAKER_01 8:38

Yeah, 100%. I think I've I've used I've used that exact story a couple of times with different people, uh, potentially probably not even at Rumpek as of yet, but you know, it might be on the list for next week or something. But um, like I've used that story a few, I've used that story a few times with people, but I've also I've said different things, and I think you never really realize like what it is that you're doing in a moment and how it affects people. And that's another thing I've always said to people like um it's not even about what's being said because all the words are the same, whether they come from you or they come from me. It's just like delivery on the date and how open you are to receiving things on that very day, and that's just like what makes all the difference in terms of people when they speak to you and how they tick in.

SPEAKER_00 9:23

And I think actually we live in a society now where a lot of people miss that openness, don't they? It's like this is my opinion, and I'm not changing it. But actually, like you have to be open to not only advice but potential change. Because I think that's the thing that people don't do, right? They're just not willing to, they're not willing to take on advice because I think sometimes people are scared that it might actually lead to change. They're like, nah, this is my lane, I'm staying in it. But that's that's kind of such an unhealthy way of thinking.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

It is, but I think um it's uh like with everything we talk about balance, and um sometimes you have to stay the course because how will you know if you chop and change or you move from thing to thing? But sometimes you're very right, you have to make those changes and listen to people. But I think the key thing in any of those decisions is just in listening, um, understanding what it means for you, and then making like an it making a well-informed choice, not a choice based on your ego or thinking that you know for certain, making that choice, believing that with all the information you've gathered or been given, this is still the right choice or the best choice for you right now. And you're probably and you could be wrong, you could be wrong, like we've all been thinking we're right and been wrong a hundred times, but we've all probably thought we were wrong about something where we were probably right instead. So it goes in either direction, but whatever choice you make, you just have to kind of own it.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

Yeah, and I think that that's that's a that's a lesson that you don't learn without being wrong, isn't it? Like you have to you have to be wrong to take step forwards and and learn. So I'm and I'm sure you've seen that in in Run Pack as well. I'm sure you've you've you've thought something was going to be a good decision and it hasn't worked out quite how you've wanted it to work out and in relationships with clients and in relationships with uh other businesses and other things you do too. So yeah, I think that not being afraid to fail is is quite important as well, do you reckon?

SPEAKER_01 11:33

Yeah, I think um yeah, not being afraid to fail is very important. I think as we get older, it becomes harder to take risks uh naturally. Like, you know, you move out, you've got bills to pay, and it's like, oh, am I uh let's speak about let's talk about being creative, for instance. Let's even talk about running, for instance. A lot of people, let's say, who aren't influencers, who are really, really good runners, etc., probably still have full-time jobs, this, that, and the other, because it doesn't pay to like run 16 minutes in a 5k because the best people are doing it at 15 going less than that, you know. And it's still an achievement, it's still amazing. But I can I can give can I take that risk in that thing, knowing that it may not pay out? The older we get, the harder it is to take risks, and we don't want to fail, we want to get it right first time. Um, and I guess it going back to balance, it becomes uh a question of what's the safest risk to take. Um, but then that safe risk probably doesn't have enough reward, and it puts you in a position where you have to keep doing the same thing again and again, and you might not kind of make it to what that overall outcome was in the first place.

SPEAKER_00 12:51

It's so interesting, man. Like even even the the conversation of of balancing risk and what is the what is the right con what is the right uh what is the right road to take if you're a T junction, do I turn left, do I turn right? And I think I think as you've as you've always said there, and as you've said previously already, it's like it kind of it kind of doesn't matter as long as you own it in the moment and you then give it a chance, and then if it doesn't work out, then you've got to re-evaluate and and kind of go again. But I think it's that's a really important lesson that that I think you've already shared is is that giving it a chance. Because maybe sometimes people don't give things enough of a chance and just step back from a decision too quickly because maybe they're scared that it's gonna fail, even though it might work out.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Yeah, when you've when you've made a decision, you've got to stick to it. But recently I was discussing something with my client, and I think um, like it's hard to do this stuff because you don't consider it a lot, but you have to um like just like when you're a trainer, you have to like check in, make milestones on or like checkpoints on the decisions you make. Um, example being if I want to put on five kilograms of mass in six weeks or five weeks, let's say, I have to check in every week to see that I'm putting on one kilogram, um, to see if I'm on track or if I'm not on track. Vice versa, I have to make sure across all seven days I'm hitting this calorie count. And then in order to hit my calorie count, I've got to make sure that every day I'm buying the right amount of food or prepping the right amount of meals. And I think when we make life decisions sometimes like, oh, you know, I want to apply for this job or I want to work in this in tech or whatever, we don't really put out these checkpoints that say, okay, cool, I've applied for 400 jobs, um, like you know, or I've applied for 200 jobs by week one, by week three, I want to be applying for 400 jobs, etc. blah, blah, blah, whatever it might be. Um, and because we don't do that, sometimes you don't know when you should quit and when you should stay in something. And I think if you kind of if you take like, you know, the same level of efforts that you put into, you know, other things and you track your effort in decision making, then you'll know when it's time to like quit or when it's time or if you should keep trying something. Because if you can see that, oh, I've been doing this project for six weeks with no returns, but then you can track that I haven't put in enough effort, then maybe you need another six weeks. Whereas if you can if you've done this project for six weeks and you put in these ten points of effort and nothing has come from it, then maybe it's time to move on to another project. Like, but I don't think we do that enough. I know I don't. So but something I was discussing recently with someone because he's looking for a job um and he was trying to match what he's done effort-wise across the last year.

SPEAKER_00 15:50

That's such a that's such an interesting point, actually. The the kind of like not checking in with yourself, but also having that kind of um that kind of distinct difference between effort between different things. And that's not something I've thought about before, but actually it's a really good way of of reflecting on a problem and maybe why you're not seeing the outcome that you want because the effort isn't there. Is that something you see a lot? Um, people wanting that end goal right away, rather than actually putting the steps in place to get to it.

SPEAKER_01 16:26

Yeah, I think like if we take it back to running, obviously, uh, you know, I run with people, they're doing 5Ks, 10ks, half marathons, marathons, and everyone calls out times out of thin air, like, oh, sub 90 this or sub three hour that. And, you know, what's your running history? What have you done previously? What numbers have you hit in the past? How much hours or or mileage are you accumulating each week? These are questions that they don't have the answer to, but their outcome is already there, sub-free marathon or whatever it might be, and they've got nothing, no milestones, no check-in points that lead up to that. I think that's something we see quite often, but it's also because I think what they see out online or on socials is that it's achievable, but what they don't see is the work that said achievable person is putting in to get there. A lot of time you just see the photo at the end and the timer besides saying 231 or 252. But a lot of the times you're not seeing the graphs that a lot of people are putting in to get those times, and and naturally, like we probably all said this before. I think um showing like the work wasn't always that sexy, if you know what I mean. Like only the outcome was like appreciated. But I think we're we're kind of entering a period now where people want to show the work as well, um, because the work has tremendous value. But um, I think yeah, going back to what you started with, I just feel like yeah, lots of people kind of shoot for something um with no realistic expectations of how they're gonna get there.

SPEAKER_00 17:55

What's more important, do you think, motivational discipline?

SPEAKER_01 17:58

Uh discipline always. Discipline, always discipline is built on consistency, innit? Discipline is just built on everyday stuff, just you know, putting in the work until the point where it becomes like it's it's so natural you don't even consider it. Like to think that people always make jokes about I I like to segue a lot into like different stories and blah blah blah blah. But people always make jokes about babies and how um essentially babies have to learn how to breathe consistently, like regularly, because obviously they hold their breath, they they do things that like crazy stuff that they shouldn't be doing, basically, right? And obviously, we're at an age where you know breathing's not a thought process, right? Because it's discipline, let's say. We do it every single day. I've done it every day for 30 years and now I'm here steady, right? Um, if I needed to be motivated to breathe, then you know that'll be a bit silly, like it'll that motivation will come and go. Is it only when I'm grasping at my neck that I'm gonna then want to start breathing again? No. Discipline is great, but like sorry, motivation is great, but like discipline is there in place when motivation fades. Because when the motivation to get up fades, you remember from discipline that you have to be up every day, regardless. When the motivation doesn't all want you to like prep a meal, you know that you've been doing this for five, six, seven months straight. So why stop now? Discipline basically gives you that checklist, the boxes crossed, and it shows you that I've I've done it before, I can do it again. Motivation is obviously temporary, it's like high heart rate, it rises and then it falls. And funnily enough, when you mentioned that, like discipline is basically zone two, and motivation is basically zone five. That's how I'm thinking about it. Because everyone's talking about zone two is what you need to do all the time, every day, consistently, and that's discipline. And zone five is where you get to in a moment, but then it comes right back down because you can't maintain it. Yeah, you can keep that one if you want.

SPEAKER_00 20:12

Do you know what? I was gonna say you're a you're a man that likes an analogy, and I I absolutely love it. Um I I think I actually think that that the breathing analogy there is is so poignant, and I think that probably hit home with me and will hit home with people listening um strongly. And and the reason I asked that was because I I was looking back on your Instagram and I read a quote and it was you finishing a race, and it said, when motivation fails, discipline finishes. And I was like, that's so nice, right? I think that is that's the that is the be-all and end all of what you need to think about if you're training towards a goal. Because most mornings, and I think sometimes when we talk about motivation, people say some mornings, let's be honest, most mornings it's hard to get your shoes on and get out the door. Most mornings you'd prefer to sit on the sofa with a dog and have a cup of coffee. Most mornings you'd prefer to snooze that alarm. But if you do that on most mornings, you ain't gonna get to where you want to be, are you?

SPEAKER_01 21:14

You're not, you're not. And funnily enough, that also like we think about discipline as oh, doing the right thing, but you can also become disciplined in the wrong habit. So what you just explained of wanting to feed the dog, chill the dog, have a coffee, not go for a run, you are disciplining yourself into being someone that doesn't commit to the thing that they say, and then that's when you need so much motivation. TV movies, um, Jake Deere and Oli Marchong putt them on your TV and on your wall to like really get hyped up. That's when you really need all of that motivation because you're disciplining yourself. To not put in the work or put in the effort. So it goes in both directions, isn't it? And you kind of want to make sure you're just on the better side of that discipline. I think one thing for me, like last year when I was running London Marathon, um, obviously I did, you know, the routes, etc. But it was very important for me to run part of the route, especially the back end of the route, um, that like finishes the run. And I remember on the day when I was running, after like 32k, where everyone starts to go to hell essentially, I the only way I kept myself going was funnily enough, by just saying, Um, I've been here, I I know these roads, I've been here before. I know these roads, I've been here before, I know these roads, I've done this already. And that's literally all I was saying back to back in my head from like 32 up to 40, and then obviously just you know gave it what I got to finish the line. And it was just a reminder that like I've been here already, so I know where I'm going. Um, this is this place, this is this milestone. I've done this the other week, this is very close, I'm almost home. It's basically just like little checkpoints in the mind to kind of remind myself of what I'm doing. But you can only do that when you put yourself in the space every now and then. You put yourself in that moment or you actually give it what you got. The first time you wake up at 4 a.m. to do a run, it's tough. But you do that a couple times that week and you'll remember it, you'll know this world because you've been here before, and it'll feel like so normal to do.

SPEAKER_00 23:26

So it's the I I'm going to the analogies now, Teo, because uh because we've both done it and it is like a cheesy one of the practice makes perfect, right? But like the they're analogies and they're cheesy because a lot of the times they're true, and practice makes perfect is like it's it's not only about doing the thing, it's not only about going out for a run, it's about putting yourself in the situation as well. Because if you've never been in the situation, if you've practiced, if you've never practiced that situation, then um yeah, when you get your when you get into that situation when you're 35k deep into a marathon, the likelihood is that situation's gonna be a little bit too much in that instance and you're not gonna know what to do. Yeah, yeah, very true. Um definitely. Yeah. You only get it's like you only get so it's a you only get that, you only get that chance to like stick or twist basically a few times, don't you? And you know what? Like it's so interesting because we've we as we've been talking, it's like we talked about that word selfish and the double entendre, double meaning to that. We've talked about the word discipline and the double entendre and the double meaning to that. And it's like there are there are so many, there are so many of these words that are thrown around in the fitness space that are either perceived as positive or negative, and probably all could be seen as both sides. Like consistency is the other one, right? You can consistently do good things, but you can also consistently do bad things. And if you're consistently doing bad things, talking about that end goal, that end goal is not gonna happen if you're making that wrong decision all the time, is it? No, not at all.

SPEAKER_01 25:05

I think, like you said, in it, everything that has this 50-50 aspect to it, so it's like a split ratio, and um, it's like what side of it are you falling on? Because we're all consistent, basically, right? We're all disciplined, but in what exactly? In sh the wrong then thing or the right thing, given what it is we're trying to do, like run our races. So are we consistently doing right or are we consistently doing wrong? What percentage of that are we falling on? And you have to just make sure that you're falling on the more positive side to achieve your goal, whatever that might be.

SPEAKER_00 25:37

It's like each word is its own like pie chart, and it kind of like goes green or it goes red, and it just it depends on how you're depends on how you're working it, doesn't it, at that at that given time? Um going all the way back to the start, Taylor, when we talked about Run Pack and you introduced yourself and you said London's best and most diverse run club, focusing on that word diverse and diversity, like why is that word so important to you and why is it so important that that that is at kind of the front and centre of when we talk about Rumpack?

SPEAKER_01 26:11

Um, for me, it's there's a few different reasons. That word in itself, in terms of diverse, it's like an obvious thing that we're thinking about in terms of uh race, colours, background, etc. But for me, it's that and a little bit more as well. Um, naturally, like again, with there being three of us, like lead this community and stuff like that, we all have different kinds of energy. And I I am a performative person in the sense that I do want to do well in races, I do want to achieve, etc. But I'm also very understandable that let's say, and I say this to my clients all the time like none of us are professional athletes, and the point I'm making when I say that to people sometimes is um like the differences between you know us and them, it's it's out of the screen in terms of of like you know, trying to show it like that. And basically, when we talk about diverse, we're not just talking about male and female, we're also talking about ability. So, for me, with this community, it was very important to me that okay, cool, there's gonna be people faster like myself and even faster than me, sure. But as a coach in the background I come from, I always want to account for those people who are aspiring to do better, who are kind of pushing their boundaries and their limits and doing something that's immensely harder for them. I think sometimes I think that some people might disagree, but sometimes I think that like I don't need so like my my motivation is intrinsic, right? I do what I need to do. If you tell me we're gonna run 30k today, I'll run 30k, I might do 31, and that's impressive, correct, sure. But the person who, you know, hasn't ran 10k ever and manages to do it without stopping or even with stopping, but gets it done on today, the same day that I do my 30, that's equally as impressive, potentially even more, because it's easy for me to do it, it's not easy for them. And as a coach, lots of things are easy for me to do, some things are harder, but I know that it's not easy for everyone else. So that diversity element was us introducing like 430 pace fruit, which is essentially our fastest group, some run faster, 530 pace route, which is that bridge of people who are progressing, comfortable, and then moving onwards, and then 630 pace fruit, which to some is still quite fast, but we wanted to make sure our community was continually progressive. So we had four, five, and six. And obviously, we support runners who run this who have a maybe a slower pace than that, potentially, but at the same time, we wanted to kind of set a boundary of uh like this is where you can work towards and you can keep on going and progressive from there. So that's what that diverse part of the community means to me.

SPEAKER_00 29:07

And I it's it's interesting because and I think this is probably something you will have seen starkly with being uh you know one of the figureheads of of that community. At every point, the feeling is the same. So if you're running 730k, you're gonna want to be in the 630 pace group. If you're running 630, you're gonna want to be in the 530. If you're running 530, you're gonna want to be in the 430. And if you're running 430, you want to be at the front of that pack. Like that change and that feeling, it never changes, does it? It's always there, it's always there.

SPEAKER_01 29:44

And I think that's really I think that's a good thing. Some people don't like it, not in our community, some people in general might not like it, but I think it's a good thing because again, it's like you are working to be at the top of your space, so it's not that 630 people want to be running in 430 by next week. No, they want to be running from the bottom end of 630 into the top end of 630, and that's equally an achievement. It's not about jumping through group to group or going from a 40-minute 5k down to a 20-minute 5k, it's just about within the lane that you're currently in, getting to the top of it and being happy and comfortable with that competitive element, but also just with that fun community growing element because I think progression is a good thing. Um, in a space where there's no progression, I can't be happy. Progression doesn't mean fast, progression just means moving forward.

SPEAKER_00 30:41

So yeah. I like that. And now again, another another another Teo line that we can take out of this, man. I feel like I feel like this is like one of the podcasts that I've done recently that I could probably take the most sound bites out of. Because you're you're a you're a machine, Teo. You're a machine. I love it. I love it. Um, I guess that takes us to to the 22nd um at Chase the Sun in Battersea. Probably kind of it takes us there quite nicely. Your your joining run through and run packer coming down and joining run through at that event. And kind of one of the one of the reasons that you spoke to me in the first time and we started having this conversation was like um you wanted to bring people down to a race that maybe had never raced before and given the opportunity to race and in an inclusive environment. And I think both of the brands kind of have that ethos and both of the um, yeah, both of the both of the both of the communities have that sort of feeling to them. So it's cool that we're getting to marry that up. But from your side, what's that like for you bringing people down to like their first ever race, experiencing something that you know very well, that's got to feel pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 31:54

Oh, 100%. I think um, so me and my friend Trey, we kind of came up with the idea together to basically bring down like people who had never raced before um to do an event. And the idea kind of comes from just like I I remember when I did my first race, it was Vitality, and uh like I was I was I was nervous. It was a 10k, I was super nervous. Um, naturally start running, I'm running fast, my pace is all over the place. Um, I had fun, I enjoyed it. I beat like my time from a random 10k I did in life, and definitely this was like an official 10k. I had like a five-minute PB, super excited. Um, got my first medal, and it kind of just kept going from there. And in the community, there's so many people who are deeply involved. They run every Sunday with us, 5K Greenwich, they do track sessions every Thursday with us in my land, and but they don't do anything else. And I speak to them and they're like, Oh, yeah, I want to do this, or I want to do that, or I'm interested, but I'm nervous, or I'm this. And it reminds me of where I was quite nervous to do something, and I didn't book a race until my friend booked it for me. So now I'm kind of forcefully booking this race for everybody else who I'm you're the friend, basically. I'm the friend, I'm I'm booking this for everyone else who I know wants this opportunity, but they won't say it unless it's it's given to them. You know, it's like that sometimes people want something, but unless you hand it directly to them or do it for them, sometimes they're not gonna they're not gonna make that step towards it, and that's what I'm trying to do for them right now.

SPEAKER_00 33:22

What is it about that first step that's so difficult? Why is that so difficult? You think it's the change? Like, what is that? Because it's that's not just you know, that's not just running, is it? That's just everything in life, like ripping off that band-aid as as people say, what what is it about that that make is so hard?

SPEAKER_01 33:42

It's it's somewhere you've never been, um, and you have no idea what is there, what's waiting for you, and you're just like, no, I can't do this. Like, I've never been to North London, and I'm not going because it's too far. I live in the south. So for me, I need to rip that band-aid off, but I'm not going there unless someone's driving me there, unless there's 100k waiting for me at the other end of the road, like one of the two things. Um that's how I see it. But it's that in it, it's it's somewhere you've never been, it might be somewhere you want to go, but you don't know how to. Um, and some people just suck it up and say, ah, cool, I'm going, I'm doing it. And others just need a little bit of a push. And then obviously they've got people like me and Trey and Rumpack and Run Through to help them with that little push. And that's why I like I like Run Through a lot, actually, because I remember when we started uh Rumpack as well. Run through was one of the first brands that I kind of partnered with through another comp through Nestle. We we did a we used we did we did a race in Regents Park with like 12 people. I remember I still got pictures of everyone. They did a 10K event in um in Regents Park, and it was it was kind of cool, it was fun. But I never really knew about run through at that time, and this was 2024, I believe. Um, and then I found out more about them. And I think the good thing about them is like it's the accessibility. It's that it's it's not like the not to even I don't want to sound bad talking about other people, but it's not necessarily about just a money grab or something like that, it's an opportunity across everywhere in London to get as many people moving as possible. Not everyone's gonna be able to get you know a hundred poundy half bib or something like that, but they can get run through any week, every week, for a matter of fact. Do you know what I mean? And I think that's probably the biggest strong point about run through. It's just like it's that accessibility and it makes racing seem way more casual. Because I think when you turn up to London Marathon, it's like the Super Bowl or World Cup or Euros. That's what it's made out to be. Hackney, um, Copenhagen, all these other races, it's made out to be the biggest thing in the world when cool is big and it is important, but it's just a run. Like it's just some time on feet. Run through really allows you to kind of just pop up on a Sunday, get it done, build your confidence, and then do more later on. And that's why, yeah, that's why I like you guys.

SPEAKER_00 36:18

I'll have to send you uh send you your 20 quid later, mate. There you go. There's a promo, there's a Tayo promo for you. Uh but that's that do you know what you saying that, mate, is it's such such a cool thing to hear because you know, a line that we use a lot within run through is inspiring active nations through running. And and part of that is um we're now a global brand, you know, we've got events uh in the US, in um Australia coming up, um the UAE, uh all over, yeah, all over Europe, uh on the trails and then starting on the road now as well. So like part of what we want to do is genuinely bring running to as many people as physically possible, because we all do it, we're all passionate about running, we're all runners who like to run. And I think this is probably where the ethos of what we do, or where the ethos of what we do comes from, and also how I can see the same sort of ethos running through Run Pack because it's like we've all done the thing, we've all been there, we've all felt that way. And how can we get as many people from step one to step two to step three to step four? And that's what we're both doing, right? In both sides of things. We're just forward motion, progression in whatever way you want to do that. And your progress, I think that that what's important about that as well, your progression can just be being consistent. Like it can just be like, I want to do a run on this day, and I want to do uh another race next week, and I want to do another race the week after. Like, progression again, as as we've talked about this whole conversation, can be um staying the same in some ways, like, but you're still progressing, you're still moving forward because you're staying consistent and disciplined and motivated. And yeah, it's it's um it's super cool to see the like the parallels between the two, between the two and run through and run pack. In a run in a run pack perspective and and what you foresee going forwards, this community has grown so much over the past three years. Like we're coming up to its third birthday in the not too distant future. That's got to be a time for you to reflect and look back on what you've achieved, but also look forward to what run pack is in another three years.

SPEAKER_01 38:42

Very true. Um, I think over these last three years we've done things that I never like imagined doing, like brand work, taking people abroad. You know, we've been to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Porto, Lisbon, Barcelona, some people have been New York, Chicago, all for different races. Um, and then obviously in the UK, we've done every like London race you can imagine, and we've always brought up the people like in the hundreds to support each other. And those are some of the biggest things. It's it's it's yeah, we've done good stuff, but we've done it with other people. Um, like it's all well and good working with a breath, but no one shows up, then you know, okay, cool, just that about it's the fact that we've had the people there at every step of the way, not just supporting like the cultures and the founders, etc., but mainly supporting each other. I think my biggest visual takeaway from this club is that everyone supports everyone, um, and everyone has their own communities positively, not like clicks, but their own mini communities within the community, and I think that's a huge thing. And I think if I want to see anything in three years as that, I just want to keep seeing that. If I can't see that anymore, then I know something's gone wrong. I want to keep seeing that, but I also want to keep creating opportunity for that to grow so that you know more races eventually, maybe our own uh run pack 5k or 10k that we're dealing yearly, like all the other big runner communities like itself. Um, it's just that continued growth in the runnered space and really trying to get back um in a fun way, in our way, and kind of leaving our mark.

SPEAKER_00 40:22

Talking about progression, man, as we've we've mentioned a lot in this conversation, one thing we haven't talked about is you, where you're going, what you're more moving forward to, what your forward motion looks like, and yeah, what what what is next for Teo? What have you got going on outside of Rumpack? What do you want to do?

SPEAKER_01 40:41

So I um yeah, in this space, I've kind of like focused a lot on the community, on Rumpack, on its growth. And for a period of time, I was kind of neglecting my own personal stuff, but I didn't really see my personal stuff as being different from Rumpack, it was all one and the same for me. Um, and I think over the last like 12 months or so I began to understand about my own approach and what I deliver and what I have. And recently I started um a workshop to help the runners in our community and others uh get themselves prepped and ready for London Marathon. And it was called uh Built for Distance, and essentially it was like a 12-week workshop that showcased how to build a program, what's necessary, how to structure your workouts and your week alongside your everyday life in order to perform optimally on the day or in that period. And essentially, what I'm looking to do going forward is keep that same structure of this workshopping idea um and apply it to halves, marathons, 10ks, and basically teach runners across London how to basically get ready for race opportunities, race days, whether it's running or high rocks related, because essentially all the all the systems are quite similar, but obviously the certain movements and practicalities are a bit different, of course. And that's like my main focus now. I want to I enjoy teaching, I enjoy coaching, and that's the kind of thing I want to do, but just on a larger scale. So that's what I'm working towards uh for this year and onwards. And I'm looking to um yeah, partner with the right people to kind of bring that to life.

SPEAKER_00 42:10

We'll wrap this up with this one, man, because throughout this whole conversation, there's been like there's been this strand that I feel like has been running through it, and that's your love of helping people in whatever way that is, whatever part of your your kind of um, yeah, if we're talking about that pie chart again, that pie chart ateo, as that split up, most of it is helping people and wanting to help people. Where does that come from and and why is helping people such a such a huge thing for you?

SPEAKER_01 42:44

I I couldn't say specifically, but I can pinpoint a few moments in life, and one of them was um uh so I used like before running, my whole life was like gym. Like I I I always describe myself as someone who loves uh movement, right? So I do fighting, boxing, I do gym, I do yoga, Pilates, tennis, basketball, running, I do it all. But gym was always up here, like I was so much bigger than I am now, uh, stronger, etc. All of those things. And I got into that because when I was younger, I was actually quite the opposite. I was obviously I was still tall, but um, I was a bit of a pot belly boy with uh the flabby chest and everything else, and it was embarrassing for me at the time, and I remember getting slim by like literally every day I'd come home from school, I'd be running on the spot in front of the mirror at home for like 30 minutes, and that's how I lost weight. But then I was like borderline skinny anorexic or whatever, and I ended up um going to a gym in Burmese called Fisher, and there was a guy, I think his name was Tony or Troy, he was a PT. And long story short, I used to go there twice a week, I think Monday and Thursday, for like two hours. And I'm like a kid, and this guy spent both times with me, training me, um, just exercising with me, talking to me, um, getting me in shape. And he was one of the reasons, along with another personal friend of mine, that I went into becoming a PT. But I think it was probably that as one of the few reasons, but that's the one that stands out the most to me, where like someone I didn't know um who had no reason to do anything for me did everything for me for more than a year straight. Um never asked a thing from me and just was there to help. And I think since then, like I've probably tried to do the same in some way for everyone I've encountered at some point, and I always will.