120th founder update.

RUNLY NEWSLETTER #120
Thurs July 24th 2025

Welcome to the 120th edition of this founder update!

I can't believe I have sat down and wrote 120 of these. That is really wild to me, in a good way.

A lot has changed since the first couple, let me tell you.

And the 120th edition of this founder newsletter, is a pretty exciting one!

It's been a big 24 hours in Runly-land.

In case you missed the news, just last night we revealed our brand new White R700 Hydration Vest!

It's launching on Friday July 25th at 10am AEST, and you can join the VIP waiting list for it here.

To be honest with you, it's been quite a long time coming. I've had this colourway locked in for months, and it feels amazing to get it out into the world.

For the best part of two years we've genuinely had hundreds and hundreds of requests via email and DM's for a 'light-coloured vest'.

And it's totally valid.

A few of our vests are darker in colour - maybe that's the Melbournian coming out in me.

But I do understand especially for those running in warmer climates it's not always ideal.
So we had to launch a lighter colour.

But I didn't want to launch any lighter colour, that sometimes you see the big running vest brands do.

You've seen them a million times before - often light blue or light green.

I thought we've got to keep true to our brand style, while still making a vest that is practical, fit for purpose and that looks bloody good.

Enter: White.

I must say, it might just be my favourite vest so far.

It looks so crisp.

One other frequent comment we've received from our stylish runners, is having a monochrome vest option is easier to mix and match with your other gear - runners, socks, tops, shorts, caps etc.

Sometimes it can be a lot with too many colours, and let's be honest, modern running is a way to express yourself.

And before someone on Facebook tells me I'm soft, or woke (lol), for thinking that, people have always expressed themselves through sport, and running.

[Side note; I've got something funny to share on this next week 😂]

Whether it's the latest bright coloured runners, or old-school black kicks, maybe it's a loose fit moth-tech tshirt on the trails, or an engineered printed pattern.

Sport, and running, allow for expression of individuality and I love that. I'm here for it.

So I know that our brand new White R700 is going to keep runners hydrated, cool and looking fresh. 

I also hope for those that want it, it allows you to express your individualism however you want to.

White R700 gets released on Friday @ 10am AEST. Details & waiting list here.

Now, this morning I was lucky enough to have a call with an absolute veteran of sports and outdoor brands.

He's seen it all. Worked and managed some of the biggest brands this industry has seen.

It was meant to be a 30-minute call. We ended up chatting for 90 mins.

I'm someone who is always absorbing and learning from others. Especially people like this who have been there and done that.

It was an eye-opening call and I was lucky to have the opportunity.

One thing that he rammed home to me was the concept of utility - the concept that Runly was born from.

Running vests are not a new concept. But we're an Australian-owned brand doing things our way, creating innovative vests and building an epic community of runners.

He encouraged me not to forget my origin story - why I started this.

You probably already know it.

But if not, in short, I started Runly because I needed an efficient way of carrying my lifesaving medication on my runs.

It evolved into what it is today. That is, a full-blown running vest brand.

I think the concept of utility is incredible.

How do we continue making our products useful, experiential and practical.

That's really important.

Now finally, if you want to have a look behind the curtains of our photoshoot for the White R700 Vest, I've just released my latest founder YouTube vlog!

Watch the Vlog on YouTube here.

That's all for this week.

Make sure you set your alarms for 10am AEST Friday for the White R700 drop!

See you there!

Run well,
Robbie