Rosie Lee is a hybrid creative agency. Run Dem Crew (RDC) is more than a running club. In 2011, several of its members took on their biggest challenge – the Virgin London Marathon. The book follows the journey of several team members as they trained for the marathon, from their regular Tuesday sessions through to the final finish line.
The book, named after the ‘Away! Away! Away!‘ members shout as they set out on a run, is designed to celebrate and raise awareness of the crew and its activities. And it redefines what team running is: the physical benefits, the friendships and the shared goals. It’s about moments in time, and a unique passion.
Shown over 6 magazine-style photo essays and using images shot by Tom Hull who followed and ran with the group for the 4 month lead-up to the London Marathon. Keeping true to the Crew’s grassroots, Rosie Lee, under the art direction of Mark Fleming, designed the book to have an energetic, loose look and feel that makes full use of Tom’s photography and the vivid color range offered by Risograph printing. The six chapters were individually sewn together using an exposed bind.
Each participating RDC member also contributed their own copy to the book with short bios. Here is a quote from Charlie Dark, the founder of RDC:
“When people refer to Run Dem Crew as a running club I always correct them. To me, Run Dem is a running community, a group of friends who come together to support each other in the pursuit of a common goal. A crew – a family, even – who care for each other as our own. It’s that family that got me through my darkest hour. It was their shouts and cheers that propelled me out of that tunnel.”
“Although running is a solo pursuit it takes the spirit of camaraderie to pull you through the toughest parts – those moments of doubt when the enormity of pushing your body through a journey that most would only drive becomes a bridge too far.”
The amazing photography by Tom Hull brings back good memories of when I was a teenager going to school in the UK…
After reading the book twice, the key take away for me is the motivational nature of this book. There are many simple motivational phrases throughout but there are two that I personally think should be framed or made into posters so one can see it every day.
And Page 77 summarizes it all:
Together and as a Team. A Crew. A Family.
*Product provided by Rosie Lee. CMP.LY/1 Review
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