I’m writing this a few days after the National Running Show, once the van’s been returned, the legs have recovered (standing up for hours on end is harder than I thought it would be), and my head’s had a bit of space to catch up with everything that happened.
Getting there was… more than expected
I hired a van, loaded it up, and set everything up on Friday night. I’m very glad I’d taken the day off my day job — I genuinely hadn’t appreciated quite how much time, effort, and logistics were involved. Nothing dramatic went wrong, but it was one of those moments where you realise you’re learning a whole new set of skills simply by doing the thing.
On the night, I ended up borrowing trolleys from neighbouring exhibitors. They were incredibly kind, and it was my first reminder of something that came up again and again over the weekend: people really do help if you ask.
An early start and a simple stand
Saturday started at 6am. I set off feeling relaxed… and then realised I’d forgotten food. Completely.
That turned out to be a mistake, because once the doors opened there was absolutely no chance to get away. I was properly hungry by mid-afternoon — a mistake I did not repeat on Sunday.
The stand itself was super simple. No bells, no whistles. Just TrailKube, a bit of space to talk, and me.
I’d worried slightly about the location, but being between the travelator and one of the speaking stages meant there was a steady flow of people all day. Sometimes you get lucky.
Help, kindness, and familiar faces
A huge part of the weekend being manageable was down to my friend Paul, who very generously volunteered to help after a casual conversation over a glass of wine at New Year. He’s a swimmer, not a runner, and I don’t think he fully knew what he was signing up for — but he was an absolute hero across both days.
It was also genuinely lovely to see people from the Ultra in Rwanda the previous week popping by the stand. Familiar faces in the middle of the madness gave the whole thing a strangely grounded feel.
The conversations that mattered
The show was super tiring — I spoke to so many people — but the responses were overwhelmingly positive.
I heard variations of:
- “That’s genius”
- “I know exactly who needs this”
- “This would be brilliant for crew”
- and my personal favourite:
“It’s so good to see something that’s not socks or gels!”
That last one made me laugh, but it also felt quietly affirming. TrailKube isn’t trying to shout. It’s just trying to solve a real problem in a calm way — and people seemed to get that very quickly.
Saturday was extremely busy; Sunday was noticeably quieter, which gave a bit more space for longer conversations. The organisers also put on drinks on Saturday evening, which was a really nice way to decompress and remind everyone that we were all human again.
A show, not a sale
At one point I had to remind myself: this was a show, not a sale.
That mindset shift mattered. I wasn’t there to push, persuade, or pressure. I was there to listen, explain, and see how TrailKube landed in the real world.
And in that context, it proved genuinely popular.
One person came over specifically to say hello because he’d been given a TrailKube as a Christmas present and absolutely loved it. He just wanted to tell me what a cool gift it had been. That gave me a massive warm feeling inside.
Another person, who’d had a few issues ordering one previously — which I’d sorted out as calmly as possible at the time — came over to thank me in person. That was another moment that reminded me why I’m doing this the way I am.
Those interactions mattered more than any single sale.
Looking back
I didn’t get much chance to wander the show myself — I was very much tied to the stand — but my business mentor Anna even popped in from the Spring Fair in the adjacent halls, which felt like a nice full-circle moment.
There were also some genuinely interesting conversations with visitors that might lead to things like podcasts or collaborations down the line. Nothing forced. Nothing rushed. Just conversations that felt… aligned.
And I think that’s the word I keep coming back to.
The weekend wasn’t about fireworks or overnight success. It was about showing up, doing the work, listening carefully, and seeing that the idea behind TrailKube resonates with people in the way I hoped it would.
Quietly. Humanly. And with a lot of tired feet.