WithU partners with Sir Mo Farah to launch global running app

British Fitness Technology company WithU has announced a new business venture in collaboration with Sir Mo Farah and fellow athletes Adam Clarke and Charlotte Purdue, launching a new app, URUNN, aimed at the global running community.

URUNN is described as a hyper-personalised fitness application that seeks to serve runners worldwide by combining the athletic expertise of its founders with fitness technology developed by WithU.

The founding team includes Sir Mo Farah, regarded as one of the most decorated long-distance runners in history; Adam Clarke, who will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer; and Charlotte Purdue, who will act as Coach for the venture.

URUNN is scheduled for launch later in the year and is designed to leverage the experience of competitive athletes and the technology expertise of WithU to create what the founders believe will be a new standard in running apps.

The initiative follows a period of rapid business expansion for West London-based WithU. The company was recently reported to have achieved a compound annual growth rate of 245.8%, and was named the fastest-growing leisure and entertainment business in Europe.

WithU's growth trajectory has been underpinned by strategic partnerships with major brands, including Samsung, Hugo Boss, and Visa, which have extended the company's reach for its existing portfolio of fitness technology products.

The URUNN project marks WithU's first product launch dedicated exclusively to the running market segment, reflecting a new direction in the company's portfolio focused on specialist fitness categories.

Steve Clarke, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of WithU, commented on the joint venture, "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, said, "I've been a runner all my life, even when it wasn't seen as cool. Today, seeing how many people now share my passion for the sport and are experiencing 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 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."

Steve Clarke elaborated on WithU's growth approach, stating, "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."

Sir Mo Farah, Co-Founder of URUNN, commented, "Running has been, and is, my life, and 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. 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, stated, "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 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."