Charlie Dark: We Run the Night

In this inspirational talk about his experiences taking swathes of young Londoners “from sofa to finish line”, Charlie describes how RDC became a dining table of sorts, where ideas could be exchanged for young people from different walks of life, some from homes with no space for a dining table. From hijacking the disused Stratford Olympic Park with Haiku poetry to creating a global running movement in cities across the World, Charlies mission has gained global attention. He takes a break from the streets to shares his story with the LL crowd explaining that RDC is not just about running, but about how you feel inside. ‘The city is my Stadium; the cars are my enemies; the street is my track’

Speaker Charlie Dark (Run Dem Crew)

Charlie Dark is the shadowy figure behind Run Dem Crew. His story starts with a series of solitary night-time runs. He chose night to hide his ineptitude (years travelling the world as a DJ and partying with the Beastie Boys had ransacked his stamina). Soon, he became rather good at running, but stuck to the same format; touring the streets under the cover of darkness proved to be a liberating experience that he believes saved his life. He decided to share this positive discovery and founded Run Dem Crew, a growing family of runners that fly by night, using the exercise to inspire social change, empowering some of the city’s most vulnerable residents. He insists that Run Dem Crew is not ‘cool’…we’ll let you lot be the judge!