About Run and Become

London's Leading Running Specialist

Run and Become is a customer-focussed, family-run, specialist running shop, founded in 1982 to serve runners of all abilities and backgrounds.

Guided by our brilliant, extensively trained experts, with a deep knowledge of running biometrics – how your body moves as you run – you are served with care, consideration, and time. 

We curate the top running products, invite you to connect and have fun at our Run Clubs, and help you run better and stronger with our in-store Sports Clinic and Running-Form Coaching.

Specialist Customer Service

Getting the right running shoes can transform your experience. That’s why every member of our team completes an intensive three-week training program, becoming specialists in Natural Gait Analysis with a deep knowledge of our range. Their expertise means you’ll always receive personalised service and leave with the perfect pair of shoes tailored to your needs.

But running shoes are just the start. We organise local races, host free workshops, and our in-store Clinic’s leading sports practitioners and coach help you run better, recover faster and stay motivated.

We seek out the best running gear. With a comprehensive range of performance running footwear – from recognised to niche brands – complemented by an extensive range of high-quality accessories and clothing, we are here to provide everything you need to reach your goals.

Not only do our amazing customers recommend us to their friends, but sports practitioners – from podiatrists to doctors – also regularly send patients our way, knowing they’ll be in safe hands. It is our honour to care for and serve each and every one.

Where does the name RUN AND BECOME come from?

It was Sri Chinmoy and his philosophy of challenging the limits we impose on ourselves, reaching beyond our goals, that inspired Ongkar’s running. Sri Chinmoy was so enthusiastic about the idea of this running shop that he even offered it a name, and that’s where Run and Become came from.

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

Our Story

Ongkar Tony Smith, always a lover of sports, was inspired by his meditation teacher Sri Chinmoy to take up running. He was quickly hooked but … where were the running shops?

Sri Chinmoy’s advice: open your own! So a spark of inspiration took hold and in June 1982, Tony and his wife Cherry opened the doors of Run and Become. In time, their daughters, Shankara and Dipika joined them and they continue to run the shop.

More about how we started »

We quickly started organising races in conjunction with the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in London’s Battersea Park – anything from a mile to a Marathon – along with Ultra Races.

As technology in running shoes evolved, shoes were getting softer. More people could run comfortably but some needed extra support, so anti-pronation shoes appeared on the market for the first time.

Cherry’s instinct for fitting the correct shoes and spotting injury problems was so perfect that podiatrists started sending their patients over: “Go and see Cherry”. She carefully trained all our team and our Natural Gait Analysis was born.

We were the first shop to assess people’s running style and advise them on the correct footwear for their footstrike. Over the years we’ve tested various gait analysis machines, but we always come back to Natural Gait Analysis as a most effective solution.

By 2008 we knew that a successful runner needed more than the perfect running kit, so we wanted to offer more benefits to our customers.

We launched our free in-store events with Chris McDougall who held the UK launch of his soon-to-be bestselling book Born to Run at our store. Over time our events grew; run clubs with Olympians, and inspirational talks from running adventurers.

We followed this with our in-store Sports Clinic, offering runners the entire package, from kit to coaching to injury reward and prevention treatments.