Ana: Group activities often come with a certain pressure to conform. How do you ensure that individual identities are celebrated within the collective spirit of Runway?

Tosh: We inevitably feel pressure in many walks of life, but with Runway I want to emphasise that showing up to the starting line is an achievement to be celebrated. There are so many times we want to complete a project, try something new, or change a habit about ourselves, but since we ‘don’t know how’ or are worried that it won’t be perfect on the first try, it gets procrastinated. I’ve learnt that just starting is an incredible achievement, and the same goes for running. Whether you complete a 5K in 20 minutes or an hour, we will be proud of you for showing up. I don’t believe in comparison, it’s joy’s biggest villain.

Lila: Fitness communities can sometimes unintentionally alienate those who don’t fit a certain mold. How do you ensure that Runway avoids this pitfall?

Tosh: Runway is for everyone, and I’d go as far to say it’s probably even more for people who look at our page and feel hesitant. I know that feeling, imagining stepping out of your comfort zone, knowing that there might be a bit of failure before success. It’s all about honesty for me, and I don’t mean telling the truth about how ‘fast’ you can run, but actually the honesty it takes for someone to come to me and say ‘Hey Tosh, this is kinda hard and I’m nervous’. It’s a community where loads of people are doing something new, and the idea that we’ll all be perfect on the first try is laughable.

“Showing up to the starting line is an achievement to be celebrated.”

Lottie: As the visionary behind Runway, what was the moment or experience that sparked the idea for this running club?

Tosh: It was a succession of things for me really, I couldn’t pin it down to just one. It also has to be inspiration from role models like Eliud Kipchoge for example, the marathon world record holder. He popularised the African proverb: “If you want to run fast, run alone, but if you want to run far, run together.” I’ve always been a ‘people person’ and everyone who knows me, knows that I’m happier and stronger collaborating, rather than riding solo. It’s the same for running and you can pinpoint the differentials that make you a better athlete - moving with a group is one of them. We end up reaching further distances during group running sessions, and there’s a lot more stimuli to keep you grounded and comfortable.

Ana: Runway seems to draw inspiration from brands like Nike, but in what ways do you see Runway carving out its own distinct identity?

Tosh: They have to be one of my favourite brands, shoutout to Nike Run Club Coach Bennett from Portland, OR - you helped me fall in love with the sport. I love when a brand or company can cultivate a culture and distinct identity during its marketing. So I actively consider ways to emphasise that Runway is not going to be a weekly meet up to brag about how many minutes you shaved off your 5K PR. We are a run club, but there is a powerful nuance in calling us a running community. I’d say community is always a founding principle of sport - competition and comparison comes secondary to me. We include and collaborate, the last thing I want is for someone to look at our page and feel intimidated by comparing themselves to “better runners”. It’s about emphasising how this can be about running but it’s also about thriving in social settings. Runway will show you that it really can be more than a run. I also want to destroy the misconception that you need immense training or athleticism to ‘be a runner’, it’s nonsense - the only thing you need is a body.

Lila: St. Andrews is a global town with diverse demographics. How do you plan to ensure that Runway’s message resonates with such a wide audience?

Tosh: You’ll see. Where else in the UK can your friend group consist of people from London, Johannesburg, Vienna, Dubai, NYC and Lagos? I always tell people I’ll probably graduate from this uni with a ‘St Andrews accent’, and it’s not just the way we sound that is unique, but there’s an accent in how we consume media, how we dress, and the way we spend time with each other that I’ve never seen. Runway has an opportunity to celebrate this little town and cater to an audience that, from a marketing perspective, is a complete anomaly. I think we get a platter of arts to choose from, thanks to our diverse community and the strong social media presence we get from a contemporary student population. I often refer to how I see St Andrews as the Silicon Valley of alternative-art collectives, this town creates new ideas every semester in every area of arts, and honestly, Runway does not need to stop at sport when welcoming new people. We want to use infographics, narration, video and imagery to use multimedia and explore the crossover of sport with music, graphic design, editorials (thanks N/A Mag) and maybe even other literature. It’s such a good way to connect and celebrate while having fun, and I can’t wait to execute the ideas we work on.

Lottie: As head of Marketing, how do you envision your role evolving as Runway grows?

Shaina: I have thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with committees and working with other incredibly talented students in St Andrews over the past 2 years, but more than anything I am excited to work in a team that values creative freedom as much as our group in Runway. This is not necessarily a role I used to be entirely comfortable with so stepping outside of my comfort zone is going to be a big deal for me this year but this

Ana: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing Runway in its early stages, and how do you plan to overcome it?

Shaina: To be completely honest, there can be a lot of anxiety surrounding the early stages of a new project and actually turning those anxieties into action. Which is completely understandable if you think about it; when you truly care about something, creatively you can put that thing on a pedestal and not want to let anyone down , which makes that one project seem so intimidating to even navigate as an idea. Personally for us, I think prioritising a strict timeline has helped us visualise the future of Runway as more than just concept whilst keeping us in check and communication, communication, communication! I genuinely don’t remember the last time that my phone was on DND!

Lila: Marketing a community-driven brand like Runway requires a delicate balance between promoting events and fostering genuine connections. How do you approach this challenge?

Shaina: I’ve found that there’s a really fine line between balancing genuinity and promotion when it comes to presenting creativity - whether that’s been in a personal or collaborative creative project. It’s something I think about a lot actually - because authenticity is such an important quality, and it plays out theoretically quite well when put into action. When you are passionate about something i'd like to think that’s something which can shine out way beyond a phone screen. When working on a project like RUNWAY, we’ve just tried to have fun with it to be honest, it’s actually very exciting to be able to see your ideas play out that were once literally just on a WordDoc. People seriously underestimate the power of fun - having fun is literally influence. You don’t even necessarily need to make something to be a part of that influence to foster connectivity as it’s literally already in you, you are drawing from qualities that you possess.

Lottie: Runway's marketing includes a collaboration with N/A Magazine. How do you see this collaboration enhancing Runway’s reach and impact?

Shaina: The one really beautiful aspect of this town being quite small, is that it fosters creativity and encourages ‘paper-napkin-ideas’ to really flourish. We’ve been super buzzed about the collaboration because I feel N/A is such a great example of picking up on that ‘influence’ that I mentioned before, and allows different demographics to access events or experiences they’d previously miss out on by showcasing different cornerstones of creativity in St Andrews. One thing we have also tried our best to stay true to is that we want to establish ourselves as more than a run club, and be open to collaborations with different organisations. My time in University has taught me that community is so, so important and that’s exactly how we would like for people to interpret Runway as a run club, we run together as a group and being ‘first’ or the ‘fastest’ won’t necessarily win you any awards.

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All views expressed in this article are the author’s own, and may not reflect the opinions of N/A Magazine. Posted Friday 20th September 2024.

Edited by Charlotte Plaskwa