We are currently enjoying the fruits of our recent shop re-fit. We figured that after 26 years of the same shoe display we could splash out on a new one!

How to Find Us

The closest Tube station is 'St. James's Park', from there take the Victoria Street exit and turn left out of the station, this leads you to a passageway and we are a few shops down on the right.

Alternatively, we are a 7 minute walk from Victoria (bus and train) Station. Walk down Victoria St. and after the Army & Navy store turn left at the Albert Pub.

View larger map here

Local Races

SELF-TRANSCENDENCE RACES

We organise a series of races during the year at Battersea Park, ranging from 1mile to 10 miles and then a 24 Hour Track Race at Tooting Bec every October. All our staff help out and we run them under the banner of Sri Chinmoy AC We get runners of all abilities, so if you fancy testing out your speed on a Monday night or fitting in a 10K one Saturday morning check out our races at SriChinmoyRaces.org/uk

BRIDGES HANDICAP RACES

The free Bridges Handicap Race is held at 12:30 on the second Wednesday of each month. The course is 2.3 miles, registration and start are by Westminster Bridge. For more information visit the Bridges Race homepage.

BARNARDO’S DADS DASH: 8th FEBRUARY 2009, HYDE PARK

DadsDash is a fantastic family day out, to celebrate fatherhood, have fun and help children — all the space of an hour (or less!). Children can run with Dad and the whole family can come along to support and spend time in one of London’s most beautiful parks. To enter DadsDash there is a £10 registration fee and Barnardo’s encourage runners to raise £100 in sponsorship to support disadvantaged children across the U.K. Runners can register online or fill in an application form. For more information please visit www.barnardos.org.uk/dadsdash

Local Running Clubs

Want some encouragement in your running? London has lots of great Running Clubs, join one and you’ll get loads of free knowledge, encouragement and training partners. British-Athletics.co.uk lists all the clubs in the country by region. For a great central London club check out Serpentine.org.uk.

Local Running Routes

If you are getting bored of your running route, then check out 30 Great Runs in London (£9.99). It shows lovely running areas and the instructions are easy to follow. More books available in our accessories section.

Injuries & Maintenenance

We all get aches and pains from time to time, and even though we will do the best we can to fit you out with the most injury repellent shoes, if you find yourself in need of some medical help these people have been checked out by us and are ace at getting you back pounding the streets again. Rest assured, we list the practitioners here because they are at the top of their field, not because of some dodgy back hander!

PHYSIOS & OSTEOPATHS

The wonderful George Hughes, a very genial and extremely knowledgeable Irishman, trained osteo, naturopath and Alexander Technique.
34 Warwick Way, SW1V 1RY (near Victoria Coach Station)
0207 834 6229

One of Britain’s first great female marathon runners, Leslie Watson is a really knowledgeable physio. Having been such a great runner she understands the need to get you out pounding the streets again.
6 Upper Montague Street (near Baker Street)
0207 723 4379

The very thorough and knowledgeable Joy Walters is a top physio.
Wimbledon Village
0208 876 3608

Frederic Roscop, Osteopath and Holistic Practitioner
Frederic is not your average Osteopath, his touch is more cranial, gentle and very effective. From personal experience he’s a bit of a genius! He got Shankara (our owner) running again when she’d tried umpteen other therapists who were unable to get to the root of the problem. He’s a bit pricier than some but if you have a persistent injury or just want a thorough but gentle re-balance then Frederic is the best.
42b Beauchamp Place
SW3 1NX
020 7581 2639

We’ve just come across Sandra Price but she’s already working wonders on two of our staff who’ve been experiencing back problems. She is a very knowledgeable osteopath, Cherry Smith (co-founder of Run and Become) isn’t the easiest person to impress when it comes to sports therapists but she’s raving about Sandra.
Prices Back Clinic
144 Harley Street 0207 7935 00232
12 Fitzjames Ave. Croydon 020 8654 3862
www.pricesbackclinic.com

ACTIVE RELEASE TECHNIQUE & CHIROPRACTOR

Active Release technique is a fairly new treatment and there are very few practitioners in UK. Currently it is used on professional athletes and has been very successful. It’s a little tricky to explain, but basically it’s a pressure point massage except the patient is asked to resist some of the pressure, stimulating the muscles and helping to get the blood flowing through, muscle tension to release and the healing process to start. It is effective for short term muscle problems and long term injuries and you should notice a difference after the first treatment. Some of our staff have had treatment and found it to be very effective.

Trina Parry, Brian Martyniuk
www.chiropractive.com
07889 320569

PODIATRISTS

Ron McCulloch, the best of the best
Lewisham Foot Clinic
0208 297 9631  (once a month in Harley St. 0207 637 2920)

Alex Catto of Sheen Podiatry for a subtle but very effective, unobtrusive insole which works well for all but the most severe pronator.
370 Upper Richmond Rd.
0208 876 5063

SHIATSU

The best treatment for shin splints or general tightness.

Jeanette McDonnall – a genius and very nice too!
Southfields
0208 785 3743

EGOSCUE

If you suffer from recurrent problems (back,knee,hip pain, shin splints etc) then it’s worth looking into Egoscue. Egoscue treats the whole body and goes to the root of the trouble rather than just fixing the symptoms, but it requires effort on your part! A practitioner looks at your posture and discusses the problems you are having, then he explains what is causing the trouble, i.e. why is one muscle/tendon being overworked so that it starts to complain, and then you are given a set of exercises to relieve the pressure on that area by generally improving the balance of your posture. It takes dedication because you need to do these exercises every day (or at least 4 times a week) but once you commit to this you can realistically expect never to need a physio/oseteo etc again. We rave about Egoscue because it’s helped a number of us and our customers (it got me running again after an injury had kept me off for 3 years!). There are very few Egoscue practitioners in UK but one good one in London is:

Matt Waters
07779 080478
info@upwardspiral.co.uk

BOWEN TECHNIQUE & EGOSCUE

Sarah Fairburn is a very good Bowen practitioner and also an Egoscue teacher. The Bowen technique focuses on muscle realinement in a very gentle but effective way.

Sarah Fairburn
North Barnes
020 8563 9125

SPORTS MASSAGE

Excellent sports massage is hard to come by.

Franziska Koller (also a great Yoga teacher) Richmond
07963 014047
fran_koller@hotmail.com

RUNNING COACH/PERSONAL TRAINER

Cypren was one of the UK’s top sprinters in the 90s, just under international standard, and moved on to be a GB Sprints and Jumps Coach. He also works as a trainer for us lesser mortals! He’ll improve your speed, strength, core stability and flexibility, and most importantly he’s a very nice guy. You won’t be intimidated and you will get faster.

Cypren
07772 999870
deepandforward@blueyonder.co.uk

CHIROPODIST

Heena Patel is a really good chiropodist:

Heena Patel
Pimlico Podiatry Practice
20 Churton St. SW1
0207 834 3149

How It All Started

Tony Smith opened the first Run and Become in London in 1982. He had taken up running a few years previously and always struggled to find a good selection of running shoes and clothing not to mention advice. So when Tony gave up his career in Quantity Surveying, he was inspired to start a specialist running shop that catered for all runners. Tony passed away in February 2006, but Run and Become continues to flourish.

Visit the Tribute to Onkgar Tony Smith or read The Run and Become Story in Tony's own words.

Sri Chinmoy is truly the inspiration behind Run and Become. Years ago in India he was a very accomplished decathlete, the photos from those days show him in mid throw / sprint / jump, and also illustrates how equipment has come on since the 1950's! Since a severe knee problem made it impossible for Sri Chinmoy to continue running, he has moved into the weightlifting world with very impressive results. Visit SriChinmoy.org for more information on Sri Chinmoy.

Sri Chinmoy, who inspired Tony to take up running, also encouraged him to open his own business. Once Tony had secured 42 Palmer Street. and was fitting it out, Sri Chinmoy offered the name of Run and Become, Become and Run, which comes from his aphorism:

“Run and Become. Become and Run.
Run to succeed in the outer world.
Become to proceed in the inner world.”
~ Sri Chinmoy

Tony and Cherry were joined by both their daughters once they had left school, and so the shop remains a family run business. We now have 14 staff, all of whom are trained to help customers with their shoe, clothing and accessory choices.

When a customer comes to us for running shoes, the first thing we do is ask a few questions. Such as: how much running are they doing (or how much they intend to do), what shoes, if any, are being used at present and whether there are any injury problems. Then we put the customer in a pair of neutral running shoes and watch him/her run a few strides outside in our passageway to see how the foot moves.

This gives us an idea as to which type of shoe is likely to be most suitable for the foot strike. Then we bring out a few different pairs and watch the customer run in each of them, working together until we find a pair that works well and feel good.

(A full shoe fitting can take up to half an hour, so please arrive no later than half an hour before closing time).

Some Of The Staff

The World Harmony Run

The World Harmony Run is a global relay that seeks to promote international friendship and understanding. As a symbol of harmony, runners carry a flaming torch, passing it from hand to hand travelling through over 80 nations around the globe. You can find out more about previous World Harmony Runs in Britain here, and how to participate here.

THE WORLD HARMONY RUN IN TANZANIA
22nd September 2008

The World Harmony Run is a relay run that goes all over the world promoting the simple message of harmony between individuals and nations. It is non political and doesn’t raise any funds. Sri Chinmoy formed the relay to inspire people to remember that we are all brothers and sisters of this planet, regardless of our backgrounds, and that World Harmony is obtainable and necessary for everyone to be happy and fulfilled. This year the relay has travelled through many, many countries, including UK in May, this account is of it’s recent trip to Tanzania, the runners were invited to several schools to run with the children and talk to them about World Harmony.

It was a bright, pleasant morning, when the World Harmony Run (WHR) represented by Manatita, Gregor, Bijon and Pastor Palemo set out for the Sierra Secondary School, Mikochene. The temperature was about 30ºC but after all, we were in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

On our way to the School, Bijon, Gregor and I made our first visit of the day at the offices of Bishop Charles Gadi. The Bishop was a remarkable man who had chosen to apply his business acumen and success in the direction of service to a Pentecostal Ministry that he had himself founded. At his offices he held our Harmony Run Torch, expressed his thanks for our coming and said a few kind words about what we were doing and his Ministry. We then proceeded to the School.

Sierra Secondary School was a very beautiful School and an extremely welcoming one. The Head Teacher, Mrs Rose Pascal, was very kind and had made arrangements to meet us even though the children were in the middle of exams. There are over 1000 children in the School, and at first we saw them in small groups before exams. The majority of the students, however, were gathered in the School yard at 12:30pm. We explained the WHR and interacted with them. They seemed overjoyed to see us and enacted for us a beautiful dance, which they were inspired to put together in a very short time. One of the teachers then gave a short speech in which he expressed the delight of the School at being chosen to participate in the WHR.

They also recognised and wished to honour Sri Chinmoy for this and other sporting initiatives. He finally highlighted the need for international friendship and exchange between Schools to promote music, singing, poetry and art. The programme ended with a very joyful run by some selected students, around the perimeter of the School.

Kabaroti Day Care Centre in Mwananyama had quite a different feel to the first School. There were about 22 of the 64 children present ranging between the ages of 2 to 6 years old. They were exceptionally cute and well behaved. They sang a welcoming song for us while clapping and cheering enthusiastically and we in turn, reciprocated by singing the World Harmony Run song for them. The Headmaster, Peter Chacha, thanked us for our visit and the humble gifts that we offered and said that he considered us as 'Friends of Kaboroti Day Care Centre.'

Our last stop for the day was at Help Orphans Tanzania, the Orphanage associated with St. Mary's School at Tabata. The perimeter of the School was adorned with uplifting and positive messages such as 'There is Still Hope in God' and 'Striving for Excellence'. The Headmaster, Thomas Samson, gave a brief history of the institute in which he touched on the needs of the children. We afterwards proceeded to the main gathering in the School gymnasium - upon the wall of which were emblazoned the words 'God is Able'. There were over five hundred children gathered for the occasion.

During the ceremony, the WHR interacted with the children who expressed 'Amani' or Peace for a few moments with their hands on their hearts. They were a very enthusiastic group and as well as singing and clapping to a song in Kiswahili they – in unison – chanted Amani to the count of 3.. 2.. 1.. by the Head Mr Samson. It was a very joyful and lively occasion. Bijon and one of the teachers then guided them on a run around the grounds during which the children sang and laughed and clapped and were very happy.

To conclude, we honoured the invitation of Pastor Polemo Massawe. An integral co-ordinator of WHR Tanzania, the Pastor had accompanied the team throughout the day. There we met his wife and family who entertained us and who had prepared a most delicious meal. We were made to feel totally at home.

~ Report by Manatita

Humanitarian Aid

Many thanks to all of you who so kindly donated items for the Oneness-Heart Tears and Smiles shipment to Tanzania. We were able to collect a whole truckload of bikes, computers, sports equipment, toys, games and other donations, all of which have now been delivered to the depot in Avonmouth ready for packing and shipping to Africa. We hope to have some pictures here on this site in the autumn of the shipment being distributed, so watch this space!

Shoe Recycling

Running shoes become like old friends as you cover the miles together, and sometimes it's hard to part with them! Rather than letting them decorate your hallway though, why not bring them in and we'll make sure they retire to a good home via one of our local recycling schemes.

Vintage Run and Become: See how we started out

Sri Chinmoy with Tony Smith & Don Ritchie—ultramarathoner extraordinaire, still holds the UK 24-hour track record of 166.24 miles.

Sri Chinmoy at Run and Become admiring his weightlifting photos.

Sri Chinmoy visits Run and Become before his Albert Hall concert.

The Early Days!

Sri Chinmoy, Paula Radcliffe & Gary Lough hold the World Harmony Run Torch, April 2005.

Running Shoes circa 1982 Cushioning has come on a bit since then!

Ongkar Tony Smith, founder of Run and Become, running the New York City Marathon. Never one to take life too seriously!

Sports clothing of the 1980s