During the 2026 TCS London Marathon weekend, New Balance, Official Apparel and Footwear Partner, will open London Run House, a community-led space celebrating the people who shape the city’s running culture and reflecting the brand’s belief that if you run, you belong. Bringing together athletes, crews, first-time marathoners and spectators alike, the space invites all who run to connect in a distinctly London way.
Located inside the iconic Somerset House on the bank of the River Thames, along the marathon route, London Run House will transform Somerset House’s Embankment Galleries into a state-of-the-art destination celebrating community, craft and performance.
Across the weekend, the space brings together athletes, run crews, marathon runners, spectators and London’s wider creative community to experience New Balance through a distinctly London lens.
Reflecting the energy of the capital, London Run House explores how the sport extends beyond clocking miles, through surfaces, typography, fabrication and shared experience. From immersive workshops and panel discussions to installations and screenings.
At the heart of London Run House is a cinematic documentary and portrait series created with London’s running communities that captures how the city prepares for marathon day across its boroughs.
The project follows crews across the capital as they train, gather and build momentum in their own ways ahead of the start line. Visitors are invited to experience the build-up across the city, where every borough prepares differently.
Directed by Joshua Simpkins and shot across boroughs including Greenwich, Battersea, Tower Hamlets and Lewisham, the film features real crews and communities as they gear up for the big day from riverside runs and art-led sessions to track training and culture-infused long runs, each story revealing a different side of London’s running culture.
Blending cinematic direction with self-captured footage from runners themselves, the film offers an intimate portrait of routines, rituals, pride and pressure as marathon day approaches.
The documentary sits alongside a portrait series from photographer Vivek Vadoliya, whose work documents members of Run The Boroughs, Runner Beans, Deaf Run Club, LES Running and 2-Step Collective, celebrating the people who bring the city’s running culture to life.
Together, the documentary and portrait series reflect New Balance’s belief that running culture is shaped not only by elite performance, but by the communities who move the sport forward every day. The project premieres inside London Run House on Friday 24th April, anchoring the weekend programme around the voices and experiences of the communities shaping the city’s running culture.
Developed together with London running communities including Runner Beans, LES Run, PASSA and Green Street Collective, the programming reflects New Balance’s commitment to creating spaces where runners of all levels, identities and motivations can feel represented and supported.
“At New Balance, our running vision is shaped by the athletes and communities who move the sport forward every day. London represents one of the most diverse and creative running communities in the world, and London Run House is designed as a space where everyone who runs can feel part of that energy, bringing together performance, culture and connection during marathon weekend.”- Kevin Fitzpatrick, New Balance Global Vice President of Running
