The running boom is quite literally showing no signs of slowing down, with the world’s biggest running events, not only across Sydney and Melbourne, but in all the Majors around the world, seeing an influx of would-be running aficionados over the last few years.
The running boom has well and truly landed on Australian shores too, with City2Surf and the Sydney Marathon both landing in August, and the Melbourne Marathon following shortly after; Bondi's promenade and the Tan track have become the new social circuit, where happy hours and late-night feeds with mates have been replaced by sunrise trots across the Bondi promenade and 7 AM raves holding an iced latte and a choccy crossy.
But Sydney's running culture has evolved into something well beyond kilometres logged. Showing up matters as much as the pace you run at. What you're wearing on the start line has become an integral part of that equation too.
It’s why we’re seeing more and more brands aligning with the get-fit-phenom that’s sweeping the social scene: Balenciaga released a TechWear collection; Kith and On have also partnered for a release.
And now Aimé Leon Dore and New Balance have joined the run club, releasing an SS26 Performance Running Capsule that taps directly into that shift, built for those treating training season as seriously as their Saturday night plans once were. Because if you're going to be seen out there, you may as well look good doing it.
Teddy Santis and co. have taken their signature NYC-honed aesthetic and pointed it squarely at race day, with an entire collection built around the daily grind of a marathon training block – one that’s highlighted by ALD's usual eye for archive-referencing, utilitarian design.
Apparel and accessories have been given a blue-and-orange palette – a nod to the New York City Marathon itself, but works just as well for a Saturday morning slog around Centennial Park – with technical outerwear, running essentials such as singlets, shorts, and tees, in addition to the hero Hydrovest kitted with two Hydrapak SoftFlasks.
For those looking to add more technical improvements to your running, New Balance's performance stalwarts have also benefitted from the collaborative take.
The FuelCell Rebel v5 has been dressed in a deep cobalt blue with exclusive co-branding, built for the kind of everyday mileage that makes up the bulk of any training block. The FuelCell SC Elite v5, meanwhile, is the race-day specialist, engineered for tempo and speed work rather than junk miles – now with a gradient green upper flowing into a black midsole.
It's a smart bit of timing from both brands: ALD has spent years building credibility in performance categories without losing its lifestyle appeal, and New Balance continues to benefit from aligning with local run clubs and meeting runners within their communities.
Together, the collaboration introduces running heritage to an audience that might not have considered a training shoe a wardrobe staple a few years back. Now those same people are comparing splits over coffee and planning their weekends around long runs. It's about as compelling a reason as any to add a few more kilometres to the week.
